Pokérabian Nights
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Ash and Pikachu become new residents in Agrabah where they join Aladdin, Jasmine and others in adventures to keep the royal city in peace.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon or Aladdin_

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_**Pokérabian Nights**_

_Chapter 1: Quicksand and Trapinch_

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Once upon a time, a group of kids walked through a rocky mountainside. "This sucks…" mulled a raven-haired boy in glasses. He wore a green polo and shorts and held a yellow device. "The PokéNav isn't getting a signal." A tanned brunette in a brown traveling jacket studied a blue booklet through squinted eyes.

"And there's no specific landmark about Izabe Island," he warned. It made a brunette girl worried. She wore a red bandanna and tight red shirt with biker shorts. "I think we're lost here."

"You don't have to be negative about it, Brock!" she snapped.

"Sorry, May…" Leading the group was a raven-haired young man in a blue sweat-tee over a black t-shirt and jeans with a yellow mouse with black tips on its ears and a lightning bolt on its tail. The young man had a red baseball cap on his head.

"Guys, sometimes…" he started. "You don't need a PokéNav or a map to get from one place to another."

""Sure, coming from someone who constantly been getting lost."

"Brock, Ash hasn't gotten us lost at all since he came to Hoenn," the boy argued. "You got us lost a few times, May's gotten us lost at least twice… I… did once."

"Hey, be nice to May," Ash snapped back. "She's still learning…" That's when the group stumbled across a desert… but there was an oddity: many holes were among the sands. The kids gasped. "Look at that!" The bunker holes astounded the kids.

"It looks like someone made Swiss cheese out of here!" believed Brock.

"No kidding," the other raven-haired agreed. "I wonder if a Pokémon did this?"

"That or Team Rocket, Max," Ash thought as he kicked a rock into the hole. As the rock fell, an orange head with a jagged jaw popped out and ate it in one gulp. The kids were surprised.

"It's a Trapinch!" alerted Brock. The other three gawked to the name.

"A Trapinch?" repeated May as she brought out a red hand-held device and pointed it to the head. An image of an orange ant with the same head appeared. It had a body smaller than said head with a white underbelly.

"TRAPINCH, THE ANT PIT POKÉMON," it computed with a young woman's voice. "TRAPINCH ARE EXPERTS IN DIGGING SAND PITS IN EFFORTS TO SNARE PREY. THEY CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT WATER FOR A WHOLE WEEK."

The kids began to piece together the puzzle with Trapinch and the desert's condition. "That could mean there's a nest of Trapinch on Izabe Island," Brock believed.

"And that could mean more than one Trapinch to catch," Ash sneered as he grabbed a red/white ball from his waist.

"Stop!" shouted a woman. The kids turned around to find a blue-haired woman in an orange safari suit while driving up in a jeep. She stepped out to find the kids. "This place is a Pokémon Preservation Area and you're all trespassing!" Brock dashed up to the woman and held her clamped under his.

"We may have accidentally trespassed into this place," he started. "But then again, you, my diamond in the rough, have trespassed into my heart! Maybe a nice walk on the beach in order to understand each other is necessary-" He yelped when Max yanked on his earlobe.

"I think the desert heat's got to your head," he grumbled as he dragged Brock away. Ash and May took his place.

"We're sorry but we didn't know it was off-limits," she pleaded.

"Yeah, we didn't see any sign that said so," Ash added. The woman sighed.

"Well, I tried to keep signs up for that purpose, but someone keeps ripping them down," she explained. Ash looked over to the desert with no sense of a problem.

"Besides, it looks safe to walk on," he believed before stepping on sand. However, it gave way and Ash began falling over with the mouse cleared on the ground.

("Ash!") it squeaked in fear. Ash began to slide down the cone-shape hole. The woman grabbed a rope and threw a line down to Ash.

"Grab on!" she urged. Ash snatched the line where everyone pulled hum up.

"Thanks!" he gasped. Ash was back on solid ground where he sighed in relief. "How many Trapinch are in there?"

"It's hard to determine, though there's that mischievous one that keeps messing around the desert. Anyway, what are you three doing trespassing in the Trapinch Desert?"

"We're on our way to the next city so I can get my eighth badge. I'm Ash, from Pallet Town… and this is Pikachu." The mouse squeaked to greet the woman. Brock, May and Max introduced themselves.

"I'm Elisa, Pokémon Ranger in charge of Izeba Island and the Trapinch. Come, I'll get you to safety." The kids accepted before stepping in the jeep. Brock sat with May and Max while Ash and Pikachu got in the front with Elisa. "Honestly, It's been awhile since I had trainers come by so I didn't think of replacing the signs!"

"I see!" yelped Max. Suddenly, Pikachu heard something from afar.

("Over there!") he yelped. Coming through the sands was a gray elephant with a black tire-like band above its head and back charging at the jeep.

"Donphan!" alerted Ash.

"Hang on!" warned Elisa. She threw a red/white ball to the far back of the jeep. "Help me, Meganium!" The ball opened and out popped a green dinosaur with a large pink flower around its neck. "Meganium, use Sweet Scent!" Meganium shook the flower which released a pheromone that reached the Donphan. The elephant scented the pheromone and slowed down. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as another hole started to form underneath the jeep.

"That was a close call," coughed May.

"Luckily, Sweet Scent has that ability to calm raging Pokémon," realized Brock.

"But why did Donphan come right at us?" wondered Ash. Just then, the jeep's tires gave to the sudden sand pit forming below, jerking it so suddenly as Pikachu was moving to see what was forming. The impact knocked Pikachu from the seat, sending him flying.

("Oh no!") he shrieked. Ash saw the Pokémon flying off and undid his seatbelt.

"Pikachu!" he shouted as he jumped after Pikachu. Brock and Elisa saw Ash's quick escape for his Pokémon.

"Ash, no!" they called out. As Ash grabbed Pikachu from midair, they hit the dirt which gave way to another cone-shape crater. Meganium threw a vine to reach but Ash and Pikachu entered the hole in one swoop. Everyone screeched.

"ASH!" they cried out. Elisa undid her seatbelt but saw the raging Donphan and had to calm it down.

"Is that Donphan… Hal's?" she pondered. No one could understand why the Donphan was out of control or what happened to Ash and Pikachu. Somewhere else in a desert, a couple of young people flew on a purple carpet. The carpet had numerous designs all over with tassels at each corner. On it was a teenage woman in a sky-blue midriff blouse with the straps down her arms a little, baggy pants and a tiara with an oval gem. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with two bands. The other wore a purple vest, white baggy pants tied with a belt and a crimson fez hat.

"I didn't think we'd make an agreement with the king," he sighed.

"Hey, don't be like that, Aladdin," she chuckled. "I knew your ways in street smarts would find a deal with the mountainous kingdom."

"Jasmine, it takes more than being a street rat for most of your life to understand trade deals. Your father and Genie helped out as well."

"I wouldn't question how much you learned from Father, let alone what else you did in Agrabah to keep yourself and Abu alive. Speaking of which, are you sure that Abu's alright back in the palace, especially with Iago there?"

"I made a promise to bring back something if he behaved. Besides, after all the running around against Damoola and Abis Mal trying to break into the Palace, he's tuckered out."

"I heard about those." Suddenly, Carpet twisted itself around, alerting Aladdin and Jasmine.

"Carpet?" Turning a tassel into a hand, Carpet pointed down and turned itself back.

"Did Carpet see something?"

"Let's go and see it." Carpet flew down to where Ash was partially buried and his cap a foot from reach. Pikachu's nowhere to be found. Seeing the boy, Aladdin and Jasmine got worried. "Kid!" They leaped off and see his crisis.

"Aladdin, let's pull him out!"

"Right!" Each grabbed a wrist below the black fingerless gloves and pulled Ash out while still unconscious. As they freed Ash, Pikachu tumbled out as well. Jasmine saw Pikachu and picked him up.

"What's this? A sand rabbit?" Seeing the clothes, Aladdin sensed something was off.

"I don't know… The clothes he's wearing are definitely not from here." Ash didn't move, but somehow, Aladdin didn't believe it was too late. "Jasmine, let's bring them to the Palace to get some aid."

"Alright!" Carpet reached Aladdin who loaded Ash onto him while Jasmine carried Pikachu on him as well. Carpet ascended before taking off. What mystery has sent Ash and Pikachu to a desert and to a Palace with gold ornament-like towers?

–

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Royally Rescued

_Chapter 2: Royally Rescued_

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It had been a couple of hours since Aladdin and Jasmine found Ash and Pikachu in the desert before guiding their unconscious bodies to a city overlooked by a white palace with gold pointy turban-like crowns on the towers. In a bed, Ash and Pikachu were still out with the boy now wearing a black t-shirt with a yellow stripe across his chest. His sweat tee, baseball cap and fingerless gloves hung on a pole. Ash started to stir with his head aching. He sat up and clasped his head, feeling the discomfort. "Man, what a fall," he groaned. When he looked to the side, he noticed the large room not familiar to him. "Okay, where am I? Not sure if there was a building on Izabe Island to begin with. Too big to be Elisa's tent." Pikachu had also awakened.

("What's going on?") he squeaked. Ash looked to his awakened Pokémon.

"You alright?"

("I am...") Just then, a noise came from out from a door way.

"I sure hope the boy and rabbit are okay," Jasmine muttered.

"Don't worry, Jasmine," Aladdin assured. "They didn't seem badly hurt except for the boy's neck." Aladdin entered and found Ash and Pikachu awake. "Hey, you didn't stay down long."

"Yeah, I'm not sure where Pikachu and I wound up," Ash muttered as Jasmine reached Aladdin's side. On her shoulder was a small thin copper monkey with a fez like Aladdin and a purple vest.

"Well, you two appear to be alright," she noticed as the monkey jumped from Jasmine's shoulder to the bed. "And this rabbit's named Pikachu?" Ash and Pikachu gawked to the guess from Jasmine.

"Pikachu's not a rabbit," Ash corrected. "As a matter of fact, my PokéDex should be in my-" The monkey hopped off the bed and raced to Ash's clothing.

"Abu!" snapped Aladdin. Abu found the PokéDex and ran back with it to Jasmine.

"This?" she wondered. She pressed a button which opened the door and pointed it to Pikachu which the screen displayed a picture.

"PIKACHU, THE MOUSE POKÉMON," it computed. "WHEN EXCITED OR SCARED, PIKACHU WILL UNLEASH ELECTRICITY STORED IN THE SACS WITHIN ITS CHEEKS." The device spooked Jasmine as she dropped it. Pikachu used his tail to catch and fling the PokéDex to Ash.

"If I know anything from Genie, it's something from the future," Aladdin assumed as he looked to Ash's removed clothes. "I've never seen a vest or gloves like those… Then again, after coming back from vacation, he did give Abu a hat like that." Jasmine reached and petted Pikachu.

"I'm sorry for calling you a rabbit, Pikachu," she apologized.

("It's all good,") Pikachu squeaked. Jasmine scooped up the mouse and hugged him. He felt Jasmine's warmth and let out a "CHA!" to her.

"You're a rather forgiving little pet."

("Shucks…") Abu crawled up onto Ash's head to get a better look at Jasmine holding Pikachu.

"Those two won't have a problem," Aladdin assured.

"I wanna agree," Ash smiled. "Oh, by the way, I'm Ash, Pikachu's partner, like you and Abu."

"You don't say," Jasmine awed. "I'm not sure if I should be worried or grateful."

"Princess, he seems harmless enough," Aladdin teased.

"Ash or Pikachu?" Ash and Pikachu gawked to Jasmine's title.

"Princess!?" repeated Ash.

"That's right," Aladdin confirmed. "Jasmine's the princess of Agrabah, which is where we are now." Ash and Pikachu became astounded where Ash jumped from bed and knelt to her.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware!" Seeing his kneel, Jasmine knelt and palmed his head.

"It's alright," she assured. Carpet flew over to see the occasion which caught Pikachu's ears before looking to see him.

("What's that?") he pointed. Looking up, Carpet came to Aladdin's side.

"Hey, wanted to finally meet the two you saved?" he wondered. Carpet flew to Ash who looked shocked.

"Is this a flying carpet?" he asked.

"Try… _the_ Flying Carpet. He and I have worked together on plenty of adventures and dates. He also spotted you and Pikachu in dire straits." Humored but honored, Ash extended a hand to Carpet.

"Thanks for helping us." They exchanged hand and tassel. Pikachu leaped onto Carpet to get a feel. Suddenly, the lights went out. To Aladdin, someone was making a big entrance.

"He's never without a flair for the dramatic," he shrugged.

"He? wondered Ash as he looked around. "He who?" Suddenly, spotlights emerged from nowhere.

"AANNNNNNNNDDDDDDD NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!" a cheerful voice bellowed. "WELCOMING ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL BEINGS IN THE WORLD… ONE WHO'S LIVED FOR OVER 10,000 YEARS… THE ONE… THE ONLY… GGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Emerging from a cloud of smoke was a large blue man with a ghostly vapor instead of legs under a red sash. He had a small beard that curled and his facial hair extended from his chin to his cheeks. There's also a tuff of black hair up by a gold ring and pointy ears, his right wearing a gold earring. Last were gold bracers on his wrists. He swooped down to Ash and Pikachu who seemed perplexed to the sight of the genie. "And how are you doing, little man? Seeing you two moving around Al and Jasmine's telling me you and that rabbit's recovered pretty well."

("I'm not a rabbit!") snapped Pikachu. Aladdin decided to clarify Genie about the Pokémon.

"Genie, Pikachu's a mouse, not rabbit," he explained.

"Really?" irked Genie. He turned to Pikachu a little somber. "Sorry, but with the large pointy ears, we all assumed you were a rabbit. Then again, rabbits don't have these tails."

("That's true,") Pikachu understood.

"And it's also a good thing the ice I brought from the Antarctic helped with your recovery," Genie added as he summoned a heavy trench coat. "Handling ice like that is cold!" Ash giggled to Genie's gimmick as he turned to Aladdin.

"So you're named Al?" he guessed.

"Al's short," Aladdin corrected. "It's Aladdin. I'm also Jasmine's fiance." Ash and Pikachu gasped in shock to the news.

("You're engaged!?") squeaked Pikachu. Ash smiled to the news.

"Wow, that's awesome!" he cheered. "I'm proud of you two!"

"You should be, considering most of the effort came from me," Genie advised. Ash gave Genie a smug look. With everyone moving, the engaged couple decided to get on the move.

"Anyway, how about we show you around?" requested Jasmine.

"Sure," Ash accepted. The group left the room as they began going down the halls. Pikachu's enjoying a flight on Carpet as Ash wanted to know about their engagement. "So, how did you and the princess become a couple?"

"You could say we had several trials between each other," Aladdin said. "Like overcoming Jafar's wrath, the false accusation, different genies… It's been wild!" Ash and Pikachu seemed in awe when they felt a presence behind them. Turning around, they saw an orange and black stripe tail.

"What's that?" alerted Ash. Jasmine realized where they were.

"We just passed a path to my room where Rajah stays," she clarified.

"Rajah?" Looking again, a head of a grown Bengal tiger lurked, making Pikachu leap to Aladdin's arms.

"Yeah, that's understandable," Aladdin nodded.

"Watch and learn," Jasmine winked before turning. "Rajah… Come on over, I'd like you to meet our new friends!" The tiger came out from behind the pillar and approached Jasmine and Ash, who seemed shocked in seeing a tiger. "Ash, this is Rajah, my pet tiger." Rajah reached and nosed around Ash's body, curious to Jasmine's new company.

"Uh…" he gulped. "He's not gonna consider me as lunch, is he?" A giggle from Jasmine assured Ash of his safety.

"Oh no, Rajah would think of doing such a thing. He's practically a kitten once you two or three get acquainted. I'm very positive that he'll like you." Ash wasn't sure so he knelt to Rajah. With a sneer, the tiger pounced the kid to the ground before licking his face, a feel of rough skin followed by some laughter. Aladdin and Jasmine giggle to Rajah's new acquaintance. "See? He likes you already!" Ash laughed as his face received a nuzzle from the tiger.

"Well, I'm really glad he does! He looks like an Arcanine but is as cute as a Skitty." Everyone but Pikachu blinked in confusion.

"Must be more Pokémon," Aladdin believed. Pikachu leaped down to meet Rajah which made the tiger curious before he pounced again, wrapping his arms around the Mouse Pokémon in a hug. This gave some idea to Aladdin and Jasmine on the reference.

"I'm not sure what Skitty and Arcanine are but I'm thinking a big creature acting so little," she guessed.

"Can't say the same for Iago, though," Aladdin shrugged. Just then…

"What's taking you so long!?" squawked someone. Flying in was a red parrot. "I know the kid wasn't hurt that bad but that's no reason to hold the Sultan up!"

"Hey, we're coming!" snapped Aladdin. The parrot now noticed Ash as he stood from Rajah's play.

"I see that you're finally up. Next time, make sure you know how to survive in a desert since Aladdin won't rescue you every time." Hearing the parrot made Ash groan.

"Great," he murmured. "Another talking animal like Meowth."

"Hey, don't give me any business about talking animals. I've still got a chip on my shoulder from spending time with Jafar." Rajah growled and swiped at the parrot who squawked in fear. "Whoa, down, you big cat!" Aladdin plucked the parrot from the air.

"Just inform the Sultan we're coming, Iago," he scorned.

"Hey, you don't have to be so rough on the spine! I got the message! Sheesh!" Iago led the group to the throne room. On the throne was a short rotund man in a white royal robe, white turban and white beard. After enjoying a little snack, he saw the group enter.

"Father!?" announced Jasmine. The bearded man turned to see Aladdin and Jasmine with Ash and Pikachu before Carpet, Iago and Rajah who reached the father.

"Jasmine, and I see the boy and pet are awake," he believed. Pikachu sighed in relief for the title.

("At least he didn't call me a rabbit,") he muttered. Ash snickered as he petted his partner's head.

"Ash, this is the Sultan of Agrabah," Aladdin introduced. Sultan hopped down and walked over to Ash and Pikachu.

"So, you're named Ash," he welcomed. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Both shook hands. "It's also nice to know that you've recovered quickly."

"Thanks," Ash accepted. "It means a lot." Sultan decided to continue.

"So, how did you end up in Agrabah? Or rather, what happened that Aladdin and Jasmine found you in the desert?"

"See, Pikachu and I travel our world in our quest to become the greatest Pokémon Master. We're traveling with-"

"Pokémon?" repeated Sultan.

"Yep. Pikachu's one. Anyway, I had a few friends join me in Hoenn where we were coming across a desert of our own on Izabe Island where we saw holes in them made by Trapinch." To Aladdin, it was another Pokémon.

"Tra… pinch?" he repeated. "That's how it's pronounced?"

"Anyway, Pikachu fell out of a jeep we rode on and I dove to save my best friend. We entered the hole and I hit something that knocked me out because the next thing I knew… I was here and away from my other friends traveling with us. We found out we were in the middle of the desert roasting and we could've been cooked alive." Everyone realized what Ash and Pikachu endured.

"I say, it must've been dreadful, lost out there in the middle of the desert," Sultan sighed. "You and your Pikachu must be severely parched." Ash and Pikachu knelt to Sultan, heads bowed.

"With all due respect, your highness…" Ash confessed. "That would be putting it mildly."

("We do need food,") Pikachu squeaked. A chortle from Sultan seemed to answer their problems.

"Say no more," he assured. He clapped to which young men in robes and turbans emerged with a table full of food: trays of hot meats, bowls of fresh fruit and large jugs of ice water. Ash and Pikachu's eyes widened to the smorgasbord of food. "There you go! Eat as much as your hearts desire!"

"You don't have to tell us twice, your highness!" gawked Ash. However, he felt the food and water was a lot for even the two to handle. "Wait a sec… This is _way_ too much for just me and Pikachu. You guys wanna dine as well?" Aladdin's chuckle had the two turning.

"Oh, don't worry about us," he briefed. "We all filled our stomachs while you two were recovering."

"This is all for you," Jasmine insisted. Ash and Pikachu felt their hospitality and bowed.

"Thank you all so much…" he eased. "So, I have an idea." He pulled four red/white balls from his belt and flicked them up. "Come on out, everyone!" All four balls opened and beams of light hit the floor before morphing into four different creatures: A large black swallow, a red tortoise with a charcoal shell, a red crayfish and a green human-like gecko with a vine on its head and leaves from its arms.

"And I thought I had a lot on hand… or wing," Iago awed.

"Are these also your Pokémon?" asked Aladdin.

"They are!" he confirmed.

"Amazing!" awed Sultan. "Simply amazing! What are they?"

"Allow me…" The swallow swooped down to meet Ash, Aladdin and Sultan. "This is Swellow." Aladdin nodded to Swellow's figure.

"This is a bird I'd see over Iago," he studied. Rajah came to the tortoise who became defensive when Pikachu came over.

("Rajah's friendly, Torkoal,") he assured. ("Trust me.") Torkoal blinked to Pikachu's explanation.

("He won't hurt me?") he wondered.

("He won't.") This astounded Jasmine.

"What was that all about?" she wondered. Ash came over after hearing seeing Pikachu's clarity to Torkoal.

"Pikachu's explaining to Torkoal that Rajah's peaceful," he briefed. "Pokémon have their own language so hearing the two, you'd probably not understand right away. It does take time and effort to know what a Pokémon is feeling at a moment's notice." Rajah petted Torkoal on the head a few times to show his behavior. It made Torkoal's eyes water to him crying which spooked Rajah.

"Is he okay?" wondered Iago.

"Torkoal's overly emotional," Ash sighed.

"That's one way of putting it." The crayfish and gecko saw the smorgasbord and came over to Ash. "I think those two are getting the hint."

"They are," Ash believed as he knelt to palm the crayfish's back. "This is Corphish. He takes eating from me apparently." Corphish rose its pincers a few times as Ash stood to the gecko. "And this is Grovyle. He's a speedy one and especially…" He stopped as he put a twig in his beak. "…That." Sultan seemed overwhelmed with the lineup.

"These are some interesting creatures," he admired. Genie came out of nowhere with a zookeeper's uniform on.

"Tell me about it, these aren't creatures you find in a zoo," he joked. Ash gathered his Pokémon to make the announcement.

"Guys, these really nice people are treating us to a dinner to have by ourselves," he explained. "Why don't you say thanks as well?" The Pokémon marveled to the food and picked out their choices. Torkoal sprung waterfalls from his eyes.

"Extremely… emotional," Aladdin stretched.

"Oh… yeah…" Jasmine nodded. As they ate, Ash had an inkling.

"So, how did you and Genie meet?" he asked.

"In the Cave of Wonders," Aladdin started. "I was tricked into going there to get Genie's lamp and before we knew it, we got out and stopped Jafar before I wished for Genie's freedom." Ash giggled to the briefing.

"Genie can't leave you alone, can he? Not that I can't blame you two, you have teamwork written all over."

"Trust me, Ash… you ain't never had a friend like Genie." The blue wish-maker appeared behind Ash in a poof.

"That's right!" he started before singing and dancing. "You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend! You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend! You ain't NEVER... HAD A... FRIEND... LIKE... ME! You ain't never had a friend like me! Hah!" Ash, Aladdin and the Pokémon cheered to Genie's show. "Thank you, thank you!" Everyone ate before the servants came to clean it up. Everyone had their fill as a grown man in a black sleeveless shirt, white pants and turban arrived. He had a similar beard like Genie's.

"Your highness!" he roared. Ash looked over as the man presented a scroll to Sultan.

"What's this, Razoul?" he asked before unrolling it. "Oh, it's the kingdom Aladdin and Jasmine visited earlier and said they'll agree on the trade. Thank you, Razoul." The man bowed before noticing Ash and his Pokémon with Aladdin and Jasmine.

"What's going on here?"

"Oh, Aladdin and Jasmine found this boy stranded in the desert and we're seeing his creatures… uh, Pokémon. They're a lively bunch." Razoul billowed a sigh to the sight.

"Only the Street Rat would bring more vermin here… No offense to the mouse with the bolt." Pikachu rose his paws and squeaked to ease off. Aladdin groaned to Razoul's statement.

"Razoul's the captain of the royal guards of Agrabah," he whispered. "We've had… a few run-ins."

"I wanna believe it," Ash gulped. Seeing Rajah with Torkoal, Jasmine wanted to ask Ash something.

"Seems Rajah wants to cuddle with Torkoal tonight," she pointed out. "Is it okay?"

"Of course," Ash allowed. "Rajah will feel warm with Torkoal."

"Thanks." With that, Ash and Pikachu boarded Carpet before Abu and Iago joined. "We'll see you tomorrow!" With Genie flying by, Ash and Pikachu saw a city with a lot of stone-like buildings.

"This is Agrabah?" he guessed.

"The royal city itself," Aladdin confirmed.

"A place Jafar nearly took," Iago added.

"He… really doesn't want to know, Iago," Genie warned.

"Tomorrow, I'll show you around," Aladdin promised.

"Okay, Aladdin," Ash thanked.

"Please, you can call me Al."

"Like I do," Genie chirped. They entered a building far from the palace and into an upper floor.

"This is my home… for now." Aladdin pulled a curtain to show the Palace and its towers. Ash and Pikachu gawked in awe.

"Wow, you have one heck of a view of the palace, Al," Ash marveled.

"I know, right? Back then, I would look out tot the palace every night and hope that someday, life would be better for me and Abu. No more stealing food from the marketplace to survive, no more having to run from Razoul and the rest of the guards and no more people calling me a Street Rat. Nowadays, I would look out to the palace and wish Jasmine goodnight. And you know what, sometimes, whenever I wish her goodnight, I would feel something in the air touch my cheek or lips. Almost as if someone kissed me goodnight."

"Whoa, really?"

"Yeah… If I had to guess, she's probably doing that right now." Ash seemed rather shocked to the two despite their living conditions.

"You two are crazy about each other." Aladdin snickered to Ash's study.

"You have no idea." The two chuckled to the thoughts as Ash now wondered about the scene.

"Right now, you're engaged to Jasmine, but you choose to stay here."

"It's been my home since I was a little Street Rat. Sure, I'd want to live in the Palace for the rest of my life after I wed to Jasmine. It's just... this hovel's a place I can't leave now. When it's time... someone new will use it for a home." Ash began to believe the motive. He looked to the palace once more.

"I'd rather see you there with Jasmine." Aladdin closed the curtain.

"One day… it'll be true." They settled for the night as Ash now focused on seeing Agrabah for the first time.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Marketplace of Thieves

_Chapter 3: Marketplace of Thieves_

* * *

Aladdin's hovel was where the new day started as Ash, Abu, Iago, Pikachu and Genie were asleep. Aladdin's not there. It hadn't been that long since Ash and Pikachu fell into a Trapinch home and entered Agrabah. Genie was the first to awaken and changed into a radio set. "Good morning, Agrabah!" he voiceed. "It's Sunrise Time as skies are mostly sunny with a few clouds, zero chance of precipitation and highs in the high 80s to lower 90s. Prepare your sunscreen!" Ash and Pikachu were the first to wake from Genie's weather report. "Top headlines of the day involve an agreement with trading goods involving the royal city of Agrabah and-" Ash hit a button that turned Genie's radio silent. Genie reverted back to himself. "Hey, just warning you about the day."

"Yeah, but I don't leave my TV running back home, let alone on the news," Ash groaned.

("And not so loud,") Pikachu added. Abu and Iago groaned to Genie's antic.

"That's Genie for ya!" the parrot groaned. "He doesn't know how to control his volume!" Aladdin entered the hovel and finding the group awakening.

"Morning!" he greeted before tossing everyone some bread.

"Morning, Al," Ash welcomed. "Thanks…" As they ate, Ash glanced outside. "I couldn't help but wonder if you're fine being here with Jasmine." Aladdin sat by Ash about the question.

"Well, in a sense, I am. When I freed Genie, he showed us what he discovered all over the world."

("Really?") wondered Pikachu. Aladdin's head jerked up with a smile..

"Just think about it: this place is my home, this city is where I'm living and the palace is my final stop… but I wanna see the world, discover what's all out there." Hearing Aladdin's wish made Ash and Pikachu smile.

"Sure, I can do that with my semi-phenominal, nearly cosmic powers," Genie insisted. "But let's not rock the boat as soon as we see land, right?"

"Yeah, you never know if something comes up that needs your attention," Ash understood.

"At least someone understands," Iago scoffed. Just as they finished the bread, Jasmine and Torkoal entered the hovel. Jasmine wore a brown cloak

"Good morning guys," she addressed. The boys turned to the princess with Aladdin nodding.

"Morning, Jasmine," he acknowledged. Torkoal sprinted to Ash's side.

"Enjoyed the Palace?" he asked.

("A lot!") sounded Torkoal with a smile.

"Torkoal was incredible to have around," she complimented. "In fact, Rajah and I curled up around him with the warmth in his body. Suffice to say, I didn't know a tortoise could produce heat like that. I've studied tortoises and know they're rather cold-blooded." To Ash, her study of tortoises and Ash's Torkoal were far opposites.

"Torkoal's known as the Coal Pokémon, so it's not much of a surprise as he's a Fire-Type Pokémon," he explained. "Though, there's a turtle Pokémon that would make better sense… or rather its evolutionary line." Aladdin and Jasmine seemed rather confused by this.

"An evolutionary line?" repeated Aladdin. Ash released Grovyle, Swellow and Corphish.

"These three and Pikachu can or have evolved," he started. "Pikachu evolve from Pichu and with a Thunder Stone, can become a Raichu. Swellow's fully grown since he evolved from a Taillow, Grovyle's evolved from Treecko, but I haven't seen what he can evolve into since I haven't seen it, and Corphish can evolve into Crawdaunt and gains a new type. Of course, I didn't get Pikachu as a Pichu." Everyone else seemed confused by Ash's description.

"You… lost us," admitted Iago. Genie had an idea.

"You do have that device, right?" he requested. Ash grabbed his bag and pulled his device out.

"Here you go," he offered.

"Thanks. This will help with learning what they are. It may also help me find out where you're from." That made Aladdin have an idea of his own.

"Think you can find Ash's home world?" he wondered. Genie suddenly donned a gray coat, fedora cap with a ribbon above and a smoke pipe that blew bubbles with a snap of his fingers.

"It's a daunting experiment but it's not exactly out of my task," he promised. Ash and his Pokémon believed Genie could fulfill the task. Iago had a different idea.

"Or maybe we can find her and see if she could do it for him and animals," he suggested. It made Aladdin and Jasmine glare at the parrot.

"Are you saying that you don't trust Genie?" she asked.

"I'm saying that a genie without being freed can get this kid and animals back to their home faster!" The argument made Corphish open his pincers and fired bubbles at an alarming speed, getting Iago in the tail and to a wall. Iago seemed surprised as he peeled himself off. "Bubbles shouldn't hurt… right?"

"It could be worse," Ash warned. "Pikachu can hit you with Thunderbolt… and Flying Pokémon are weak to electric attacks." Iago gulped to the thought of getting shocked.

"Let's give Genie a chance," Aladdin urged. "It may take a while but it'll give us time to show Ash around." Grovyle nodded in agreement. They started to leave the hovel when Jasmine saw a problem.

"Hold on a minute," she halted. "We can't expose Ash to the marketplace in that." Ash looked to himself wearing the black t-shirt and jeans.

"You're right, he'll stick out like a sore thumb," Iago also noticed.

"Yikes…" he gulped. "What should I do?" Genie appeared again.

"Allow me," he offered as he brought out measuring tape. "Arms out…" Ash lifted his arms to the side. Genie wrapped the tape around his body. Measurements made, he pulled on the tape to create a red uniform with a white section from the neck down.

"What the-!?" gawked Ash. Genie shook his head in disagreement.

"Nah, too schooly." With another pull, a turquoise football jersey emerged with a "13" printed on the front. "Nope… too sporty." With snaps of his fingers, Genie changed Ash's outfit again and again. One made him a firefighter, one a chef, one a businessman in a black suit, one a cyborg. "I got it!" He pulled the cyborg suit off and revealed Ash with no shirt, but white slacks and a blue strap across his torso. Aladdin and Jasmine awed the decision.

"Genie, that's perfect!" approved Aladdin. "Now, he can blend in with Agrabah!"

"That's nothing!" Genie then turned to the fourth wall. "By the way, the outfit's from Prince of Persia: Sands of Time." He finished with a wink before he turned back to the group, Jasmine pulled a turban from her cloak.

"Before we go, I crafted this turban for Pikachu," she revealed. Pikachu looked at the turban before she knelt and fitted it with holes for his ears to protrude. Feeling the lightweight turban and the freedom of his ears, Pikachu squeaked in delight before jumping into her arms, nuzzling his cheeks to her.

"He likes it!" agreed Ash.

"Alright, I'll be looking for his world," Genie planned. "You guys have a good time at the marketplace." The group left and soon found themselves down a street full of vendors selling various items like carpets, vases, and food.

"A good rug will welcome you home!" one vendor called out.

"Fresh fruit!" another vendor bellowed. "Get your fresh fruit here!" Seeing how they sell products made Ash and Pikachu learn about times before.

"This is way different from malls and shopping centers back home, huh?" he compared.

("Exactly,") Pikachu squeaked. Seeing a vendor with dates, Pikachu leaped off Ash to run to his stall. Ash felt it and turned to the vendor as Pikachu reached the counter.

"Well, I haven't seen a creature like you around," he awed. "Were you picked up from an exotic island?"

("No, somewhere else.") The head-shake told the vendor Pikachu wasn't from some island.

"Pikachu, what are you looking at?" asked Ash. As Pikachu pointed to the dates, the vendor, with a rather large beard, laughed to the name.

"First time a Pikachu has appeared," he awed. Aladdin reached Ash with some coins.

"This should be enough for a handful, right?" he guessed. The vendor tossed the satchel a couple of times to feel the weight.

"It is," he accepted. "Allow me. These dates are fresh." After a scoop, he poured it into a small bag before giving it to Ash.

"Dates, huh?" he repeated. "Thanks." Abu murmured to Aladdin's payment.

"Now, Abu…" he started to advise. "If he sees you stealing stuff, he won't trust us… at all, and that also includes Genie and Iago." Abu believed Aladdin forgot one.

("Princess?") he pointed.

"I don't think any friendship with the princess is a threat." Just then…

"Is that you, Aladdin?" a young woman questioned. Aladdin's head turned to the voice and saw a dark-skinned brunette girl in a green shirt over white, patched clothing, blue sash and gold rings holding some of her hair in.

"Sadira," he recognized. "How are you doing?"

"Good. By the way… I want to know if you need help for the wedding." The request from Sadira made Aladdin think.

"Right now, we're okay… if there's a need, I can let you know."

"Alright, deal!" Suddenly, she glanced to Ash feeding Pikachu the dates. Her eyes started to act like magnets. Her mouth shifted a little by the young trainer. "Wow…" Aladdin blinked in confusion as he saw her gaze. He looked back to Ash.

"That looks familiar…" Just as Sadira snapped out of her trance, someone else shouted.

"THIEF!" another vendor shouted. A man in a black turban and black robe ran off with jewels.

"Well, there's a thief!" shorted Iago.

"Let's go get him!" urged Ash.

"You think you can get him before me?" challenged Aladdin.

"Hey, it's not right to steal," Ash reminded. "Best way to protect Agrabah." Finally, he turned to Pikachu. "Let's go!"

("Right!") agreed Pikachu. They raced off after the thief.

"We'll see," Aladdin sneered before taking to the rooftops with Abu.

"Be careful!" warned Jasmine.

"It's Aladdin," Iago scoffed. "He'll be fine." Sadira now approached Jasmine with questions.

"Princess, who was that young man?" she asked.

"You mean, who Aladdin's chasing?" guessed Jasmine.

"Well, the one chasing the jewel thief, but sure!" Cleared of confusion, Jasmine's smile emerged.

"That's Ash… Aladdin and I found him in the desert before treating him. He's a trainer with Pikachu as his primary Pokémon."

"Really? He looks a lot like a younger Aladdin. Know what I mean?" Jasmine giggled to Sadira's observation. Meanwhile, the thief continued to a bazaar where people were performing some interesting acts like eating fire, juggling swords and lying on a bed of spikes. Aladdin and Abu jumped from roof to roof while Ash and Pikachu raced from street level. Razoul heard of the theft and was also in pursuit. Seeing the juggler with small scimitars, Ash had an idea.

"Excuse me!" he apologized as he borrowed a few of the short swords.

"Hey!" the juggler snapped. The thief turned a corner where Aladdin appeared.

"Gotcha!" he growled before Abu swooped in.

"Got it!" he hooted as he snagged the jewels. It forced the thief to chase Ash and into a trap.

"Pikachu!" he called upon as he tossed the scimitars up. "Iron Tail!" Within sight, Pikachu unleashed a white glowing tail which smacked the swords at the thief. They stabbed the wall with cloth from the thief on him. He was pinned with no way of escaping. Aladdin emerged and saw the pinned thief.

"Whoa, nice!" he awed. "That's some teamwork right there!" Razoul and three other men. One was rather heavily tanned and rotund man with a long mustache. Another was lighter in skin and body size while being taller than Razoul. The last was the shortest of the group though not as pale as the tall man or as rotund as the heavily tanned one. Razoul removed the thief's turban.

"Slim Shadi," he named. The thin guard came to Razoul's side.

"Shall we take him to the chopping block?" he asked.

"Not yet, Hakim." Turning, Razoul saw Ash and Pikachu approaching. "We could get you in the dungeon for theft yourself but since it was to stop Slim, we'll let you off. You're more hound dogs than Street Rats." Ash shrugged as he helped Razoul remove Slim from the wall. Jasmine and Sadira reached the scene while the guards took Slim out of there.

"Ash!" called out Jasmine. "Are you all right?"

"We're fine," he waived. Aladdin also showed up with Abu and the stolen jewels. "By the way, Aladdin, how did you get passed us?"

"It's a trait of a Street Rat," Aladdin joked. Sadira came to Ash.

"So, you're Ash," she greeted. "I'm Sadira. I see that you and your mouse are quite a pair." Ash giggled to Sadira's study.

"You have no idea _how_ much of a pair we are," he replied. Sadira grasped his hands together.

"Maybe you can check out my place sometime, when you're not busy."

"Of course… I don't mind." It also interested Pikachu as Aladdin and Jasmine got back together.

"I heard of moving on but I think we'll have less Sadira trouble," whispered Aladdin.

"Don't be so quick to judge," Jasmine warned. "We're friends now, but you don't know when she'll have you in her sand traps again." Aladdin scoffed, thinking of his fiancee's concern. After returning the jewels back to the vendor, another one provided Aladdin's group with some bread for free before returning to the hovel. Genie had summoned a red door, marked "#15."

"How's it going, Genie?" asked Aladdin.

"Well, not much luck, Al," Genie started. "The first few were some weird and upside-down lands. One was an author who's writing this story. He's not saying what chapter Ash and his Pokémon are going home." Ash and Pikachu were bummed about the news.

"Great…" he mulled. "At least I'll be entertained for awhile with Sadira."

"Oh, she'll entertain you alright," Aladdin teased. "She's got a special kind of magic that you may find useful."

("You don't say,") Pikachu irked. Genie opened the #15 door. A woman's scream bellowed from behind and Genie closed it, head turning every shade red possible. He soon summoned a yellow Hawaiian shirt and red pants.

"DO NOT… Go in there!" he pointed. "Not Disney approved." Ash had a smug look on him.

"Looks like I'm not gonna be bored for sometime," he snickered. The sun had set for Agrabah as Genie continued to search for Ash's way home.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. Sadira's First Move

_Chapter 4: Sadira's First Move_

* * *

The new day above Agrabah… Sadira had been up and stepped out, her morning route being to Aladdin's hovel. Her eyes had spotted Ash and she took a liking. She entered the hovel and peered inside. "Aladdin?" she called. Hearing no answer, she looked inside and spotted Ash, asleep but without Pikachu. He had spent the night with Princess Jasmine in the Palace. To Sadira, opportunity opened itself. "Hello, handsome boy…" As she got to Ash, Genie, Iago and Abu were on their way to the hovel.

"I'm still not sure why the Sultan wants the kid over," Iago groaned. "What, does he want to know more about those creatures?"

"I don't know, Iago…" doubted Genie before changing into Ash. "Maybe he wants to learn Pokémon from the trainer himself." He turned back in a snap of his fingers. "But I highly doubt that's the case."

"Well, if not that, what else could it be?" Remembering from the trip A&J took, Genie had another guess.

"How about helping with the trade deals? Al did agree with his negotiating skill." The idea made Iago scoff as Abu rolled his eyes.

"Please… Like he's interested in giving and getting goods. Next thing he'll do is give his rat for Jasmine's tiger. I mean, it would be a load off my feathers for her big cat to be with the dweeb instead of the spoiled one Aladdin's watching over." Genie didn't believe Ash would trade Pikachu for Rajah.

"That's not gonna happen." He changed into a businessman with a desk, paper and stamp. "Trade declined! Sure, Rajah was a kitten to Ash and Pikachu's a baby in Jasmine's arms as I saw but the two switching? Nah!"

"_You_ don't see it happening, but I wish differently. It would be one thing for him to take home." When they found Ash, Sadira's lips were on his and holding firmly. Genie's, Iago's and Abu's jaws slammed the floor. Sadira lifted herself from Ash to see Genie and the animals.

"Oh, did you three come to see Ash?" she asked. The three gathered their floored jaws to reset their mouths.

"We, uh…" stuttered Genie. "We can wait a few minutes for you to, uh… be done with him."

"Yeah…" sided Iago. "Sorry for barging in…" The three departed from the hovel just as Ash began to wake with a groan. He began to sit up with an eye open to Sadira.

"How many alarm clocks do I need?" he moaned. Sadira turned to Ash, a little surprised but provided a giggle.

"Sorry, Ash," she apologized. "None of us meant to wake you up. I guess Aladdin's off checking on the trading with the other kingdom." Ash seemed surprised to see Sadira in the hovel.

"I guess Al had his business to discuss. And was Genie here as well?"

"Yep. It seems Sultan wanted to see you at the Palace." She helped Ash onto his feet. "I actually came here to ask Aladdin for a favor, but saw you and… I guess I couldn't help myself." Her blushing face started to clue Ash in as he touched his lips. When he removed his hand from sight, there was sand swirling around his legs.

"What the-!" He looked to see Sadira waiving her hand in guiding the sand in a harmless little twister.

"You like? It's my sand magic!" Ash seemed stunned to see someone control sand.

"That's really cool. I'm starting to see what makes Agrabah so special." His compliment made Sadira giggle. The sand fell to the ground harmlessly. "Well, I guess Sultan needs me. I'll see you later."

"Bye!" She waived and Ash left. Sadira's snicker billowed after Ash left the hovel. "So, that's what it feels like to kiss someone… I may be on the verge of doing more while he's here. If Princess Jasmine kisses him, I know her heart's for Aladdin. I wouldn't mind one bit." Ash headed to the Palace, knowing Jasmine had his Pikachu. However, his mind played back to the kiss.

'_Man… Misty was never within arms reach of my face and neither was May. Yhey may have been more focused to Pikachu to think about touching my-'_ Suddenly, he froze. Eyes widened, he felt his lips again and trembled. "Sad- Sadira's… lips. Sadira took my lips!" His mind blown, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell back, consciousness lost. Genie arrived in a white baseball uniform with blue pinstripes and caught Ash with a glove and open hand.

"Whoa!" he gulped. "Easy, skipper!" Iago and Abu saw Ash's fainted body. Abu climbed to his chest and waived his hand in front of his face.

"Wow, it's like he's never been kissed before!" pondered Iago.

"Nope…" squawked Abu. Genie still had a job on hand.

"Let's get to the Palace to resuscitate him," he ordered. That's when he transformed once again, this time to a pair of men in white medical uniforms with plus signs on the sleeves. "Hup! Hup! Hup!" Iago and Abu followed as Genie and his copy carried Ash on a gurney. Sadira spotted a red/white ball that Ash dropped.

"What's this?" she wondered. "It's a weird marble." She pressed the button which made the marble grow into a ball. "Weird marble is now a ball? Weirder…" She hit the button again which made the ball open. From the light was Swellow. The Swallow Pokémon cawed before looking for Ash with no luck.

("Where's Ash?") it asked. Sadira's curiosity grew.

"That's no desert bird I recognize. Are you one of Ash's friends?" This made Swellow gawk but nodded. "Okay! He was told to see the Sultan at the Palace." Swellow peered out to the opening, viewing the Palace.

("Understood!") With a lunge, Swellow flew out of the hovel and to the Palace. Ash was back on his feet after passing out from the kiss.

"I'm sorry about that," he admitted. "That was the first time someone kissed me on the lips." Abu became understandable to Ash's reaction.

"Hey, it happens," Iago shrugged. "You did look a little weird when we caught you. I thought you'd be saying that you've never been kissed before."

"Well, Iago…" Ash started. "I had been."

"Just not lip-to-lip," Genie concluded. Razoul emerged from the doors to find Ash and his non-human entourage.

"So, you've arrived…" he announced. "Of course, with the animals of the Street Rat." This upset Genie.

"Hey, I'm no animal!" he protested. "I'm a Genie!" Razoul shook his head.

"Matters not," he scoffed. "Come… the Sultan awaits." Everyone followed Razoul into the Palace with the destination being the throne room. The Sultan was on his throne, feeding Pikachu. "Sultan, your audience."

"Thank you, Razoul," Sultan praised. Razoul bowed before leaving.

"Back to your post where you belong!" belittled Iago.

"You should be in the grave where Jafar is!" snapped Razoul. "As well as the monkey." Abu shivered at the retort. Razoul walked out as Pikachu rejoined Ash's shoulder.

"My boy, don't let Razoul get on your nerves," Sultan eased. "He allowed Pikachu to ride on his shoulder." Ash shuttered in thoughts of Razoul and Pikachu together.

"That's frightening…" he gulped. "Anyway, what is it that you want from me? A report of how I helped stop Slim Shadi yesterday?"

"No, there's no need for that," Sultan denied. "Actually, I wanted to know your world more. After seeing your Pokémon the other day as you recovered, I became enlightened to know about them." This made Ash smile.

"_That's _why, huh?" Newfound realization, Ash set himself up for an explanation. "Sultan, the Pokémon World is massive. Almost everywhere you look, there's Pokémon. They vary in so many ways and also know attacks like who I have." That's when Swellow flew in to the throne room, surprising those inside. "Swellow? How did you get out of your Pokéball? I know you're not like May's Skitty."

("Woman freed me!") he cawed.

("Woman?") repeated Pikachu. Ash checked his waist and discovered a hole on the belt.

"I guess your Pokéball fell off," he assumed. It made Iago think.

"Probably Sadira's interested in your creatures, too," Iago believed. He flew to Sultan's turban. "Think about it, kid… You said that she took your lips. She's got the hots for you!" This astounded Pikachu.

("She kissed Ash!?") he gawked.

"And it did look incredibly deep from my perspective," Genie added while summoning a shovel. "Not everyday do I agree with Jafar's former pet." Ash gulped to the moment.

"I believe it," he nodded. However, Jasmine also overheard the conversation.

"Sadira?" she repeated. All turned to Jasmine as she entered. "Wait, the sand witch with Ash? That's funny." Red faced, Ash palmed his head.

"I'm not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed," he murmured. Jasmine didn't think too much about it.

"Relax… At least she's after you and not Aladdin." It made Ash blink as he turned to the princess.

"Wait, Sadira liked Al?"

"Yeah, she used her powers from the Witches of the Sand: Shakata, Razili and Farida," Genie listed. Ash sensed a connection to Sadira.

"So, she inherited their powers from the Witches of the Sand?" he repeated. "She's gotta be capable of some pretty powerful magic."

"Hey, magic is one skill I'm good at, even with semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic powers in my fingers," Genie proclaimed. Ash awed to the relation between Genie and Sadira.

"Magic must be all around Agrabah, huh?" he guessed.

"Well, that's one way of looking at it," Genie summed up.

"If I may, I would like to return to the subject at hand," Sultan interrupted.

"Oh… sorry!" apologized Genie. Returning to more Pokémon talk, Sultan pondered about owning a Pokémon.

"Now, you have five of these creatures, or Pokémon for that matter," he recalled.

"I do, but I can carry six at a time," Ash added.

"Six, huh? How do you keep track? It must be difficult to raise Pikachu, I can't imagine six at once… but what am I saying, I'm Agrabah's sultan."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Sultan. Anyone can have a Pokémon, let alone be a trainer."

"Oh, really?" awed Jasmine. "But what if I want one just to play with Rajah?" Ash nodded to Jasmine's concern.

"You can do that," he allowed. "Pokémon can be a pet to have like Rajah. Just be careful, they have attacks and abilities that can hurt like Pikachu's Thunderbolt."

("But I won't do it to a princess,") Pikachu squeaked while waiving his paw.

"I know you wouldn't, Pikachu," Jasmine smirked. "Is that like an ability you mentioned?"

"Yep," Ash confirmed. "Though, Iago still remembers having bubbles pop on him." Remembering Corphish, Iago growled.

"At least it was bubbles and not this Thunderbolt," he compared. Ash continued for a while. After lunch, Jasmine had Ash meet her by the fountain.

"Princess?" he called out. Jasmine's head turned to the voice, finding Ash with his Pokémon.

"Ash, thanks for coming," she greeted. "Is Genie trying to find your world again?"

"Yep. He said he'll let me know if anything comes up." Jasmine felt trusting to Genie's process.

"Anyway, I found this picture after you left with Aladdin for his hovel." Handed the picture, it showed a brunette woman with Ash in a black t-shirt and jeans. The woman wore a straw hat, a pink button-down shirt and jeans like Ash attending a garden.

"It's me and my mom." Identities established, Ash handed the picture back to Jasmine.

"So that's your mother… Fascinating." Ash's face became a little red from Jasmine's understanding.

"It is… She's Delia." It made Jasmine smile learning about Delia.

"Well, she certainly looks like a sweet and beautiful woman. I bet she's also kind."

"Oh yeah… She sure is… and believe me, she's also one heck of a cook. Back home, she runs a diner, a little restaurant to eat. I bet Razoul and the other royal guards'll lose it trying her dishes." The idea made the two giggle.

"Now that would be a sight to behold." Jasmine's eyes focused back on the picture. A curious "hmm…" escaped her lips. Ash became a little worried.

"Princess? Is something on your mind?" Jasmine placed the picture of Ash and Delia on her lap.

"I'm wondering… When we do find your way back to the Pokémon World, is it possible if Delia- I mean, your mother could offer me advice?" Ash heard Jasmine, but looked rather confused.

"Advice? What are you bringing up?"

"Motherhood…" Ash blinked to Jasmine's topic.

"Motherhood, like… being a mom? Are you… feeling okay?"

"Allow me to clarify: You know Aladdin and I will soon be married. Once we are together forever, we'll have kids of our own. It's… inevitable. If that's going to happen, I want to learn motherhood, wanting to love and care for our children." Ash awed the reasoning behind her wish to see his mother. However, he began to wonder about Jasmine's family.

"I was meaning to ask, but I didn't want to sound… insensitive. What happened to your mom?" Jasmine shook her head to Ash's questioning.

"My mother came from Sherebad. She was a princess like me when my father married her. I learned that she was murdered." Ash gasped to the information.

"I-I'm sorry… I can't imagine…" Jasmine rested a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"I understand that it's not something you're used to…"

"Yeah… but I also get the reasoning." Understanding, Jasmine continued her explanation.

"This is why seeing you and your mother had me thinking that when Aladdin and I get married, maybe I can visit Pallet Town and wonder about advice to motherhood. Do you think she'll mind?" Ash laughed to Jasmine's concern.

"Are you kidding? My mom would be more than happy to give you anything you need to be a great mom." Flying in on Carpet, Aladdin heard Ash's and Jasmine's conversation with the princess smiling to the acceptance.

"Thank you, Ash. I'm really, really glad to know." She gave Ash a kiss to the cheek, his blush a little more apparent.

"Sure, Jasmine… anytime." That's when Aladdin made his move.

"First, it's Sadira and now Jasmine?" he spoke up. "Although, that was more of praise than love, right?" Ash nodded, knowing he had no interest in the princess.

"I showed Ash a picture that featured him and his mother," she clarified as she presented to photo. "It must have fallen out when Abu grabbed that device." Aladdin studied the photo and nodded.

"Nice…" he smirked. "Someone like her as your mother… I'm jealous, and I don't have the whole story yet." Handing the photo back to Jasmine, Aladdin turned to Ash. "I have an idea about training tomorrow." Ash blinked to the offer.

"What kind of training?" he asked.

"I can teach you how to run on the roofs of Agrabah if you can give me your Pokémon training." Aladdin's idea made Ash think before realizing an idea.

"I'd be more than happy to give you some," he agreed as both locked hands for a shake.

"This, I gotta see…" sneered Jasmine. The rest of the day passed by with no luck on the doorway to the Pokémon world. Jasmine offered Ash a night in the palace to sleep and after dinner, she guided him to a new room with a window that faced the garden, couches with pillows, silkysheets around the ceiling and a bed.

"This is Aladdin's room when he stops by?" he asked.

"This is, especially when he first came as Prince Ali," Jasmine recalled.

"That, I'll have to hear about." A giggle lisped from Jasmine. "Well, goodnight."

"Sweet dreams Ash, and Pikachu." The Mouse Pokémon squeaked as well. The lights were turned off as Ash thought about his chat with Jasmine.

"It's… rather intimidating."

("You mean Jasmine's future?") squeaked Pikachu.

"Well, you know that Al and Jasmine will tie the knot, but her fear about how to raise kids… I know that won't be me for at least a few years."

("True… but you can never plan too early.") The tone from Pikachu made Ash sneer.

"Pikachu? Are you trying to tell me something?" Pikachu crossed his arms with a grin.

("It'll happen.") Surrendering, Ash shook his head.

"Well, I'm not one to argue. Let's get some sleep in for tomorrow. Night, Pikachu."

("Night, Ash.") Pikachu hopped off the bed and to the pillows and blanketed himself. The two fell asleep quickly. They didn't know prying eyes had Ash in its sight. It approached the trainer and peered over him. Was the yellow eyes about to attack the trainer?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. Street Rat Training

_Chapter 5: Street Rat Training_

* * *

It's a new day in Agrabah as Jasmine woke and looked to her side. The vacant pillow on the floor near her bed woke her fully. "Rajah?" she called out. No response. She shuffled herself out of bed. "Rajah!" She rushed around the Palace, calling for her tiger. Aladdin came to the Palace on Carpet but heard Jasmine's calling.

"Jasmine, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Rajah! I can't find him!" Aladdin breathed, calming from Jasmine's excitement.

"I'm sure he's around. It's hard getting Rajah from the Palace." Also awake was Pikachu as he found Aladdin and Jasmine.

("What's going on?") he squeaked. Looking down, Aladdin and Jasmine spotted the Mouse Pokémon.

"Pikachu, thank goodness," Jasmine sighed in relief. "We're looking for Rajah." Pikachu realized the ordeal.

("I know where Rajah is! Follow me!") He raced to the extra bedroom that Ash slept in with Pikachu. Aladdin and Jasmine followed the Mouse Pokémon to the bedroom. In there, Rajah was in bed with Ash, the tiger's body over the trainer's abdomen and a paw around Ash's shoulder. Seeing Rajah, Aladdin and Jasmine turned from concern to chortling.

"Rajah's fine," Aladdin giggled. Hearing Aladdin, Ash and Rajah woke to Aladdin's voice. Ash spotted Rajah and was surprised to see Jasmine's pet on him. Rajah gazed at Ash.

"Morning, Rajah…" he welcomed. "Any reason you're on me?" Rajah gave Ash a huge lick to his face. The rough tongue scraped Ash's face but he took it in stride. He petted the tiger while Pikachu watched from Aladdin's shoulder. Later in the morning, Ash and Aladdin were on the rooftops of the royal city. Abu, Iago and Pikachu joined in the

"You climb a lot back home?" asked Aladdin.

"I was a handful for my mom," Ash admitted. "Called me a human Mankey at one point." Aladdin laughed before stepping toward the edge of the roof.

"I bet. You climb as well as I do. Now comes the time to run. Follow me!" He leaped from one roof to another. Ash watched and grinned.

"Challenge accepted…" With Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash sprinted after Aladdin and leaped from rooftop-to-rooftop. They leaped off support logs, ran up walls and had sheets. "YA-HOO~!" The two slid down hung rope from one building to another. The two sprinted from the high roads while Jasmine and Iago watched while riding on Carpet.

"Those two are in-sync!" she mentioned.

"Are you sure those two aren't related?" wondered Iago. "I mean, the kid's a spitting image of Al, and not just by looks."

"I concur. It's almost as if we're seeing Aladdin from the future. No wonder Ash has this much fluidity." At the end of the run, the two returned to the sandy ground.

"Nice!" praised Aladdin. "Guess I should be seeing you as an equal." Both fived each other.

"Thanks!" accepted Ash. "I've had some skills back home, some with help from the Pokémon I came across."

"Wow… I can tell." Unfortunately, their training antics were seen by the Royal Guards.

"So can we…" mentioned Razoul. Ash and Aladdin turned to the Royal Guards. "Training a new Street Rat, Aladdin?" Jasmine's fiance scoffed to Razoul's accusation.

"Jumping to conclusions already, Razoul?" he sneered.

"We have to keep Agrabah safe from vermin like you," Razoul promised, making Pikachu snarl in anger with electricity sparking from his cheeks. Aside from Razoul, the other guards became afraid. Out of sheer bravado, Razoul lifted the Pokémon. "What are you afraid of, a little spark?" Pikachu unleashed a blast of electricity that engulfed Razoul, shocking him. After about five seconds, he dropped Pikachu as he stood stun and burned. "That… was no… spark…" Finally, he fell.

"When I was told about that Thunderbolt, I wanted to stay out of his way," Iago gulped. "That's a smart move on my part."

"No kidding," Jasmine agreed. Razoul recovered and shook his head.

"It's true what they say," he groaned. "A cornered rat will bite the cat." Abu comforted Pikachu as Razoul had an idea. "This may sound like a ridiculous proposal but… allow us to train you in combat." Ash and Pikachu seemed in shock about the proposal. Jasmine swooped down to discuss the matter.

"Now, hold on a moment, Razoul," she spoke up. Hearing the commotion was Sadira as she arrived to see the ordeal. "You want to teach a young boy sword fighting? Don't you think it's a little barbaric?" Razoul shuttered at the scorn of the princess.

"Your highness, understand the interest we have," he bargained. "My fellow guardsmen have seen his take down of Slim Shadi those days ago and I sense his will of justice to which could help should someone create chaos to the royal city." Jasmine had a guess to Razoul's explanation.

"I'll say," Jasmine agreed. "A little more than one certain bandit." Aladdin believed he knew Jasmine's point.

"Abis Mal, right?" he guessed. Hearing the name, Ash and Pikachu laughed.

"Abysmal…" he cackled. "Good one!"

"I knew they'd crack up after that name being mentioned," Iago believed.

"Can you blame them?" shrugged Aladdin. "It must mean something hilarious." After calming down, Ash thought to the offer.

"You know, it doesn't sound like a bad idea," he pondered. "Not only could I be stronger, but it could help my Pokémon in some techniques." This made the guardsmen puzzled.

"Wait, are you saying that you can teach this mouse what we can teach you?" one guessed.

"Fascinating…" thought Aladdin. "I'd like to see what you have in mind." Everyone reported to the Palace Garden. Ash's Pokémon were out and saw Ash with a scimitar. He swung a few times with the curved sword.

"Pretty heavy…" he grunted. Jasmine didn't like the sight of the Ash with a weapon.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" she wondered.

"Don't worry, Princess," Razoul promised. "Unlike Aladdin, he's not a Street Rat… more a Street Mouse." Razoul came to Ash with his scimitar.

"Razoul, give me your all!" grinned Ash.

"With pleasure…" Both swords clashed. Ash shoved Razoul back before spinning around. He slashed again, but Ash prepared for his attack and blocked with his scimitar. The battle lasted a minute with Razoul's attacks being countered by Ash's defenses. Razoul made Ash work his legs, matching speed for strength. The two clashed swords one last time before Ash past Razoul. With one cut, Razoul's sash fell. Ash's overalls strap came off but he was clean of cuts. "Impressive!" Razoul turned to Ash, holding his severed sash. "I'll need a new sash after this, but I can see that you have what it takes." Genie appeared, donning a tailor suit.

"That will not be necessary," he sneered. "Let me check…" Seeing the cut, Genie fired a beam which repaired the sash. "Aha! Good as new!" Then, he zipped to Ash and saw the strap. "This should take a second…" Another beam fired from Genie's finger. "Fixed!" The strap looked renewed.

"Awesome…" he awed.

"Never fails to impress, huh, Genie?" pondered Aladdin.

"We get that a lot as genies," Genie shrugged. Razoul came to Ash with an idea.

"I have a technique that may help you out," he offered.

"Really?" wondered Ash.

"It may come in handy for when you're in a pickle." Genie wasn't sure as he held a pickle.

"'How do we fit Ash in this?' you may ask," he joked. "Well, with one wish, that can happen!" Razoul got to Genie and took the pickle.

"That isn't what I mean," he groaned before shoving the pickle in Genie's mouth. Luckily, he reached inside and pulled the pickle out.

"Hey, put it on a hamburger before eating it!" he scorned. To Ash, it was a moment to help Pikachu and Grovyle. Jasmine saw the look.

"Something bothering you?" she asked.

"Actually, I think it may help with new ways of using Pikachu's Iron Tail and Grovyle's Leaf Blade attacks," he pondered. Iago blinked as he flew to Pikachu's tail.

"Kid, this tail is fur and bone!" he pointed out. "How can his tail become iron!?"

"Easy," Ash snapped an answer before turning to Razoul. "Hey, can I have you hold your sword for a moment?" Razoul heard the discussion and wondered about Pikachu's tail.

"This Iron Tail is an attack?" he repeated.

"That's right. It's a Steel-Type attack." The information intrigued Razoul to wish for a demonstration.

"This I want to see. Pikachu, face me. I want to feel this… Iron Tail."

("You got it!") squeaked Pikachu. With Pikachu standing a few yards away, Razoul had his sword out.

"Give it to me!" he demanded. "Show me this Iron Tail!" On the command, Pikachu sprinted up and leaped to the sky, his tail being white. Razoul watched in awe at the height Pikachu jumped. He trained his sword. Pikachu's tail swung before it nailed Razoul's sword. When the two rested, everyone observed the result as Razoul's body stood a few feet from before. His sword was also cracked on the spot where Pikachu nailed his tail on. The guardsmen gawked to the strength of Pikachu.

"That's not possible," Hakim gulped. "And from a little rodent as this?"

"Little, but incredibly strong," Razoul added. Iago couldn't move a muscle at the power Pikachu displayed.

"I'm as surprised as you, Iago," Jasmine related. "But seeing the two is a lot like Aladdin and Abu."

"And that's no small feat," Genie nodded. "Two pairs of inseparability… and I'm wondering which pair is better." Jasmine and Iago nodded in agreement. After another hour of training and observing, more swords clashing and clothes breaking, Ash and Razoul shook hands.

"Thanks for the lessons, Razoul," Ash complimented. "It might not fair much with Team Rocket. After all, human-to-human fighting's not allowed in the Pokémon World."

"Well, that's a shame," Iago mulled. "All this sword-fighting and _now,_ you tell us this?" Jasmine didn't think it was a big deal.

"Well, did you see how Pikachu and Grovyle worked on Razoul swordsmanship?" she pointed out. "No doubt, Ash's other Pokémon were studying on some of the moves and would like to try themselves in their own perspective." Corphish and Torkoal nodded to Jasmine's word. In the spare bedroom, Ash sat while relaxing his muscles."

"You know, you may find yourself as Agrabah's new heartthrob if you're not careful," Genie warned as he summoned another door.

"Genie, that's not me in the least," Ash murmured. "I'm not Brock, and I'm not after a girl. I'm a Pokémon Trainer who happened to be in Agrabah, no thanks to a Trapinch."

"Hey, that's not our problem," Iago snapped. "And when you said that this… 'Team Rocket' is after your mouse, I didn't what to believe it. Even now, I don't see what makes this runt so special."

"Well, it doesn't help that Pikachu like the one I had since I started aren't common," Ash pointed out. "There are Pokémon that are rare to find in the wild, including Starter Pokémon like Mudkip and Cyndaquil." The insight gave Iago a new idea.

"I guess rarity does play into a factor," he thought. That's when Genie made a discovery. He turned to Ash.

"Um, I don't know if I found it but could you check?" he questioned. Ash sat up to which there was a white cat with purple hair on its ears, tail and had blue eyes. It also wore yellow claw gloves and a ring on the tail. Ash and Pikachu looked to each other before turning back.

"No, that's not it," he denied. Genie sighed before accepting the refusal.

"I see," he acknowledged. The cat did see Pikachu and turned to Genie.

"Hold on," she mewed. "You don't mind if I stay for awhile? I'm interested in that mouse." Genie had a moment to think before nodding.

"Alright, I'll bookmark this door and then when you want, I'll bring you back," he promised.

"Thanks!" She leaped down and scanned Pikachu. She nodded to her interest. "Hey, let's play!"

("Alright!") cheered Pikachu. The cat and mouse ran off as Jasmine arrived.

"That wasn't the door back?" she asked.

"Nope, but Pikachu's got a new playmate," Ash snickered. That's when he spotted some bottles and a bar of soap. "What's all that?" When Jasmine saw where his eyes focused on, she smiled.

"These? It's Rajah's bath today… and believe me, he absolutely loves taking baths." Ash chuckled to the claim.

"Does he now?"

"Ever since he was a little cub… He always loves to play in the water and splash me a lot. Sometimes, he'd grab and drag me down into the water or even pounce me from behind and both of us get soaking wet. It's these days where he gets the most playful. I wouldn't be surprised if he's waiting outside with a towel in his mouth." Ash laughed to the claim.

"I'll bet… Did you need help?" The offer made Jasmine smile.

"Oh, I would really appreciate that… and Rajah would be happy to have you help bathe him since he likes you. Though, like I said, he get _very_ playful on bath days. You'll never know what he'll do for fun." Ash got up and joined Jasmine to the bathing house. Hearing the childish behavior, Ash scoffed to the thought of Jasmine's tiger horse-playing.

"Come on… how bad could it be?" They looked for Rajah who prowled around a pillar as Pikachu and the cat came by. With a vicious tackle, Rajah tackled Ash into the water. When Ash recovered, Rajah was on top and nuzzling his face with the wet fur as Jasmine giggled.

"Luckily, I'm not like that to Kari," she mewed.

("I do at times, Gatomon,") Pikachu admitted. Ash now understood the nature of Rajah and water.

"I _had_ to ask…" he muttered under his breath. Pikachu and Gatomon decided to help out as Aladdin, Iago, Abu and Carpet watched Ash and Jasmine bathing and having fun with Rajah.

"I can see Jasmine treating Ash like a brother," Aladdin observed. Carpet nodded in agreement.

"I, for one, believed cats hated water," Iago explained. "This… is a first for me." As the night continued on, Ash, Aladdin, Jasmine and the other creatures began to feel at ease with trouble not among their minds.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Agrabanian Orphans

_Chapter 6: Agrabanian Orphans_

* * *

It's a new day in Agrabah. Ash and Pikachu woke in the Palace after a fun time giving Rajah a bath. In fact, Pikachu's hair stood up. "I've heard of bedhead," Ash started to tease. "So, is this… bed-fur?" Pikachu laughed to the joke Ash made. After they had breakfast, they journeyed a little down the halls of the Palace in the late morning with someone, or something flying behind them. Pikachu rubbed his cheek as Ash noticed. "Gatomon left a mark before Genie sent her back, huh?"

("I thought May's Skitty would be,") Pikachu believed. ("But at least it's nice.")

"Heh, I guess I can relate." That's when Carpet flew to Ash and stopped them. This surprised Ash and Pikachu. "Morning, Carpet. You're up and about." Carpet nodded before lowering himself. This clued the two in.

("Does Carpet wanna give us a ride?") Carpet "looked" back at Ash and Pikachu before nodding again. ("Okay!") Pikachu jumped onto Carpet before Ash got the hint.

"I sure hope Al doesn't chew us out." Carpet shook to the thought. Once on board, Carpet flew out of the Palace and over Agrabah. Carpet sped through the skies of the royal city and at high speed. "WHOA!" Ash and Pikachu held on for dear life as Carpet increased his speed. With a quick turn, Carpet headed to the sky, through the clouds. Ash and Pikachu viewed the air around. "This is… AWESOME!" He pulled a ball from his pocket. "Swellow, I choose you!" The ball opened and Swellow emerged, but gawked at the height he was summoned out. "Thought you needed to stretch your wings. Ready to fly?" Swellow cawed to the idea and flew with Carpet. He struggled to keep up with Carpet's intense speed. Once, Ash leaped off and performed a backflip. Swellow flew under Ash mid-flip before he landed on Carpet with his arms out. Carpet dive-bombed toward the desert sands with Ash flying parallel. At the last second, Carpet changed course and caught Ash. Aladdin spotted Ash and his Pokémon having fun flying on or with Carpet.

"Ash certainly fits in with the Palace," he smiled.

"That's for sure," Genie agreed. After corkscrews, flips and spins, Swellow perched himself on Carpet, fatigued from the fast flying.

"Guess it was a bit too much, huh?" he asked. Swellow cawed weakly. That's when two kids saw Carpet.

"Aladdin, is that you?" a young boy called. Looking down, there were two raven-haired boys in slightly darker skin. The taller boy had brown outfit while the little one had gray. Carpet descended to where the boys saw Ash and his Pokémon, not Aladdin as they hoped.

"Wait, you're not Aladdin!" the older boy gawked.

"Sorry, but none of us are," Ash apologized.

"But you're riding on Magic Carpet!" the younger boy pointed out. "You must be living in the Palace!"

"Not quite," Ash denied with a laugh. "I'm staying there momentarily."

("We belong elsewhere,") squeaked Pikachu. This made the little boy come to Pikachu with curiosity.

"What's this?" he wondered. "And this giant bird?" Ash chuckled to the little boy's curiosity.

"Those are Pokémon," he named. "Swellow's the bird and Pikachu's the mouse." The older boy blinked to what Ash named.

"Pokémon?" he repeated.

("Right!") cawed Swellow.

"Like Yani, I haven't heard of Pokémon," the older boy awed. Hearing a name, Ash turned to the younger boy.

"So, you're Yani?" he asked.

"Yeah, and my older brother's Kahvid," Yani identified.

"Well, I'm Ash," the trainer named himself. "I'm actually a Pokémon Trainer." Kahvid and Yani became highly interested with his title.

"That sounds awesome," Kahvid admired. "Do you have any stories?"

"Do I!?" snickered Ash. "I could talk about how I got Pikachu as my first Pokémon, or how got lost in a forest."

"Pikachu, first," Kahvid chose.

"Okay!" replied Ash. "I had turned ten years old. Where I'm from, when you turn ten, you're allowed to become a trainer. I have someone who will give you your first Pokémon: A Bulbasaur, a Charmander or a Squirtle. I could show you…" He brought out his PokéDex and showed some pictures of Pokémon. Carpet flew alongside the kids and Pokémon.

"So, you're from a time other than now, huh?"

"I am."

"And I like Squirtle's appearance and what it can do." Ash had a blue baby turtle with a red shell on the screen. "I wish one was like it here."

"I know what you mean, Kahvid," Yani understood.

"Anyway, I woke up late since all three of those Pokémon were taken," Ash continued. "But the person in charge had one more Pokémon. He's been with me ever since."

("And will be,") Pikachu summarized.

"But, taking care of Pikachu's not easy, since he refuses to go into this," Ash continued as he held the Pokéball with a lightning bolt sticker. "It's a Pokéball. It stores the Pokémon you catch and train. It's humane!" He put the ball back in his pocket. "Anyway, it wasn't partnership at first sight. Pikachu was just as stubborn at being free than I was. But when we were attacked by a flock of Spearow, Pikachu used Thundershock to disperse the flock from attacking us. At that moment, we realized we were partners."

("And still are today,") Pikachu concluded.

"No wonder you two are so close," Kahvid realized. "It's just like Aladdin and Abu."

"Or Princess Jasmine and Rajah," Yani added.

"Tell us about it," Ash laughed. Yani had an idea of a story.

"Hey, do you have any where you flew like on Carpet?" he requested.

"I have a couple," Ash offered. Throughout the time together, Ash brought up several stories which included hatching some eggs, island hopping and saving the world a handful of times. The sun began to set.

"Hey, we had a great time, Ash," Kahvid acknowledged.

"I know," Ash smiled. "I wasn't sure if I had enough stories to tell. Still hurts about Latios sacrificing himself, though."

"And those Pokémon are awesome," Yani added. "Say, next time we see each other, can you show us what you wore before you came to Agrabah?"

"You bet!" agreed Ash. "Anyway, your mom and dad hopefully aren't too worried about how long you've been out." That's when Kahvid and Yani frowned. Ash and Pikachu became rather worried.

("No home?") guessed Pikachu. Kahvid came clean with the ordeal.

"Yani and I… don't have a home to go back to," he admitted. "Our parents were gone a long time ago. It's… just us." Ash and Pikachu gasped to the news.

"I-I…" stuttered Ash. "I'm… sorry. We didn't know-"

"It's okay…" Yani brushed off. "We'll be around, I promise. See ya!" Kahvid and Yani left Ash and Pikachu stunned.

"Yeah…" he muttered. "Bye…" Carpet flew Ash and the Pokémon back to the Palace. Inside, Genie whipped up a meal for everyone with beef and chicken cutlets, rice, and vegetables in skillets. They had a hearty meal, but Ash didn't take a morsel, twirling his fork with his mind back to Kahvid and Yani. Everyone sensed it, even the Sultan.

"Ash, is there something wrong with the food?" he asked. Ash glanced to the elder.

"No…" he sighed. This made Jasmine concerned.

"Ash?" she called. "What's the matter?" Ash now looked to the princess but leaned back with another sigh.

"I met Kahvid and Yani in the streets today," he started. "They're a pair of orphans who've struggled to survive on the streets." The royal family heard Ash while Iago flew to Ash's food.

"Ash, orphans in the streets of Agrabah aren't uncommon," Aladdin informed. "They struggle for food, water, clothing and shelter, especially in the desert nights when it gets cold. I should know since I'm one of them." Jasmine gasped to the information.

"Aladdin…" she muttered.

"Kahvid and Yani are just a sample of what life is out there in the royal city. You and Jasmine have parents and lives that the orphans would dream of." Now, Jasmine became upset at Aladdin's wording.

"Aladdin… the nerve of you!" Aladdin irked at Jasmine's call out.

"What? Your dad's the ruler of Agrabah and Ash's mom's been someone you've been looking up to after seeing her picture." Jasmine blinked and reconfigured her thought.

"Well… you're not wrong, per say…" It made Ash palm the table just enough to draw attention back to himself. It also startled Iago.

"Hey, no need to take it out on us!" he alerted Ash. "We get it! Seeing orphans out there isn't sitting well with you." Ash took a deep breath before exhaling.

"It's insulting for kids to grow up without moms or dads," he growled. "They're the future in Agrabah!" Genie swooped in and palmed Ash's shoulder from the other side of his body.

"It's alright, Ash," he sympathized. "I know seeing mom-less or dad-less kids isn't easy to see. Not to mention that I've met Kahvid and Yani myself." Ash nodded but then had a thought of addressing the problem.

"In that case, what we need is an orphanage for the kids of Agrabah," he chimed as he turned to Sultan. "Your highness, can it be done? I want to see these kids be happy, have food and water and a chance to be part of a family." Sultan seemed in awe about the idea of an orphanage. Aladdin and Jasmine believed in Ash's wish.

"Father, Aladdin and I can survey around Agrabah of where we can shelter these children," Jasmine added. Sultan had a moment to contemplate the request.

"These children deserve to grow up in a place to feel like home," he acknowledged as he decided. "Very well, everyone! I can help decide on how the funds should go and how to help these children who've done nothing wrong." A weight on his conscious felt lighter on Ash as he smiled.

"Thanks, your highness," he praised. However, Sultan had more.

"However, there is a limit to how much I have to spend," he added. "The treasure room cannot spend more than a portion of what's in there, about a quarter." To Ash, Sultan's offer was a portion of what he needed.

"Your highness, it's a start. Any help is greatly appreciated."

"I'm glad I can offer something to this cause. Besides, if there's one of us who can obtain treasure, Aladdin will know what to do." Ash and Pikachu gawked and turned to Aladdin.

"Wait, Al?"

"Yep!" sounded Aladdin. "Luckily as a Street Rat, I know a few places where we can find treasures." To Iago, he had an idea of where to go.

"Good luck trying to get into the Skull & Dagger!" he beaked. Aladdin nodded as Ash blinked to the name.

"Skull & Dagger?" he repeated. That night, Ash and Aladdin explored the streets. Soon enough, they spotted a door in the shape of a skull. "So, that's the Skull & Dagger?"

"Yep," Aladdin whispered."Thieves, cutthroats, you name it. These riffraff reach this hangout to discuss information." That's when Ash believed he found a problem.

"So, they won't have any goody two-shoes wandering inside." Turning around, Aladdin saw an opportunity.

"No, but they won't know to anyone in disguise. Come on!" They duck to an alley as two men in black cloaks walked by, one shorter than the other. They were covered from head to toe Then, as they passed, Ash and Aladdin snagged the two to drag into the alley. Sounds of bashing followed before the two reemerged. "I had no idea that you can fight like that."

"Yeah, but when this is done, I'm gonna need a bath. This guy apparently hasn't heard of one."

"How else did I sense him coming?" They headed to the door where the bouncer, a bald muscular man saw the two coming… and plugged his nose.

"Agil, seriously!" he cringed. "Get those robes washed!" Ash shrugged his shoulders. "Let me make sure by your IDs." Ash and Aladdin pulled out cards with the Skull & Dagger's logo on it. The bouncer checked both. "At least you're responsible in making sure you have your ID. Same with Nid. Head inside." Ash and Aladdin followed inside to which they observed plenty of men holding daggers and scimitars.

"Okay, let's split up and cover ground." Aladdin pointed out. Ash nodded before starting to head in one path.

"At least Jasmine's watching over Pikachu," he whispered to himself. He found a few people who seemed a bit tipsy.

"You know those hooligans from Zaharna?" one muscular man slurred.

"You mean those who're still looking out for Amin Damoola?" a scrawny man with a ponytail asked.

"After he stole a portion, indeed. It turns out, they have more people in that hideout about four days away on camel." Ash groaned at the name the skinny man mentioned.

"Amin Damoola?" he repeated. "What kind of name is that? Even Abis Mal had humor."

"Hey, Agil!" the skinny man snapped. "Nay mention Abis Mal. If he appears again…" He dragged his thumb near his neck. Ash nodded to the news.

"So, this hideout you mentioned…" he returned to the topic.

"It's fortified in the northwest of here," the muscled man informed.

"I know there will be others who'll attempt to break in but those cutthroats have lived up to their reputation," the skinny one warned. Ash dipped his head a bit, a challenge to get the gold from the hideout. He returned to Aladdin and the two left.

"Northwest about four days on foot, right?" he heard.

"Yep, but with Carpet, it'll be an hour at most," Ash sneered.

"I see. By the way, there's been some information about a temple where many raiders tried to get a treasure inside. None have come out, mainly due to the many booby traps, puzzles and riddles."

"I see, but let's tackle the hideout before the temple. It'll be easier to storm in and take if the children are the priority." A plan had been set as tomorrow, a hideout will not be hidden for long.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Hideout Raiders

_Chapter 7: Hideout Raiders_

* * *

Thanks to visiting the Skull and Dagger, Aladdin had Ash, Abu, Iago, Genie and Pikachu on Carpet to raid the hideout in an effort to create an orphanage for kids like Kahvid and Yani. They hoped to get a big score from the story from the cutthroats at the Skull and Dagger. Early evening on the next night, the group discovered a structure alight. "That's gotta be the hideout!" believed Aladdin. The rest seemed a little unsure.

"I'm not sure…" doubted Iago.

"Well, let's get a closer look," Ash suggested.

"Alright…" shrugged Aladdin. They soon landed and slowly approached the entrance. The noise from inside lured the boys near the entrance where they peered around the pathway. Nothing…

"Maybe now, it's not too late to turn back and storm this hideout another night," Iago offered.

"Come on, Iago…" scoffed Ash. "I want to show the training Al and Razoul gave me." He stepped ahead, remaining crouched with Abu and Pikachu under him. They looked inside where a group of men in ragged robes and sashes cheered two having a sword fight. The boys huddled back and Aladdin had a plan.

"Looks like we can get the treasure while they're busy with their hacking," he pointed out.

"But one bad move and they'll be on us," Genie added. "I think I can offer you some armor that I learned while traveling the world-"

"No, Genie," whispered Aladdin. "Too heavy and it makes noise."

"Oh, you're right," Genie realized. He transformed into a goat. "At least you're not being as sheepish as before." Ash began to climb up a stalagmite effortlessly. On top, he looked down at the thieves as they enjoyed water. Then, he looked up to a doorway as Carpet with Abu and Pikachu on board.

("Need a lift?") the Mouse Pokémon asked. Ash looked and nodded to Pikachu before jumping on Carpet. They sped across the upper tier, but one thief spotted the flying fabric.

"Magic Carpet?" one guessed. The thieves looked up and saw Carpet, realizing their area had been invaded.

"It's Aladdin!" another thief shouted as they threw their scimitars up at Carpet, but the magical fabric evaded each blade easily. It gave Aladdin time to walk on the heads of the thieves. Reaching the other side, Abu and Pikachu hopped off and Ash joined the battle. Abu had Pikachu follow to see if the treasure's nearby. Ash joined Aladdin after landing on a thief's head.

"Thanks for breaking my fall," he teased. Soon, he reached Aladdin's side.

"Can't help but wanting to help me, huh?" he joked.

"You know I don't wanna upset Jasmine," Ash sneered. The thieves rushed in and attacked but Ash and Aladdin proved too elusive. In fact, Genie turned into a scimitar himself for Ash who parried before striking with spinning backhand strikes. Aladdin kept throwing thief after thief to thief after thief. Meanwhile, Abu, Iago and Pikachu spotted hoards of gold and gems.

"Loot city!" squawked Iago. "And they got the boat load!" Abu hooted about the four thieves guarding the treasure.

("I can shock them out,") Pikachu plotted. Seeing sparks from Pikachu's cheeks, Iago waived his wings.

"Hold on," he halted. "I know a way to remove them unharmed… for now." Abu shrugged his shoulders but Pikachu wondered about Iago's ploy. "Watch…" Clearing his throat, he spoke up. "Well, those guys weren't that hard!" Pikachu gawked at Iago sounding like Aladdin. "Let's get going!" This made the guards look to each other before abandoning the treasure. Iago snickered, his voice returning. "See, I can manipulate any voice I hear." Clearing his throat again, his voice changed. "I can even manipulate your partner. Snazzy, huh?"

("No way!") gawked Pikachu. Iago's voice came back.

"Comes in pretty handy under circumstances. Anyway, let's get the treasure out of here." The animals dove for the gold and already knew it was a lot.

("We'll need Genie to get this all out!") pointed Pikachu. Abu saw Pikachu's gesture of Genie with a paw below his chin and the ears connected and bent. Abu nodded before going back. Iago seemed stunned.

"I'm actually surprised he understood you," he gulped. Using drapes and rugs to wrap the thieves, the dynamic duo made little work of the scoundrels. Not a drop of blood was seen, but the hooligans had pretty nasty boo-boos.

"Guess that's all of them," Aladdin said.

"There!" one of the guards shouted. Ash and Aladdin glared to the treasure guards charging in.

"Missed a pair," he groaned. "I got it…" He sprinted at the guards and passed them after disrobing their sashes and their trousers dropped, exposing their boxers. Ash used their sashes and hooked them on loose pillars. He bailed as the guards covered their undergarments. A huge pile of rocks cascaded and buried the guards, knocking them cold. Seeing the animals, Ash nodded. "Now… We got all of them." Aladdin laughed to the trainer's double-check. Iago flew in.

"Al, I've got good news and bad news," he started. "The good news is that we've found the treasure! The bad news is that we need to carry loads of it one at a time! And who knows how long those goons will be out!" Aladdin scoffed to the problem.

"We have Genie and I'm sure he can find something to load it in," he promised. Genie appeared with a trucker getup.

"That will be no problem," he assured. "I have a vehicle that can transport all that treasure back to Agrabah." Aladdin's sneer turned to Iago.

"See what I mean?" he replied. Iago slapped his head.

"Why did I even bother asking?" he groaned. Outside, the boys found a pickup truck.

"Alright, boys…" he alerted. "Load the gold in the bed and we can burn rubber!" The boys and Carpet brought all the hideout loot to the bed of the pickup before Genie drove from the hideout. Carpet had Aladdin, Ash and the animals with one more bag. As they journeyed over the deserts, Pikachu's nose picked up on something, one Ash caught.

"Pikachu, is something wrong?" he asked. Pikachu pointed in a fixed direction.

("Something's over there,") he squeaked. Carpet "saw" Pikachu's finger pointing and turned to the direction.

"Carpet, where are you going!?" snapped Aladdin. Genie saw the abrupt behavior.

"That's peculiar…" he wondered as he steered the pickup to pursue. As Carpet watched Pikachu's finger pointing downward, Ash realized his friend's keen ability.

"Pikachu sensed something around there!" he guessed. With Pikachu's finger straight down, Carpet looped before stopping and Pikachu hopping off. The rest joined, and Genie parked the truck.

"Good thing this truck runs on Genie magic," he proclaimed. "Not fossil fuels…" Pikachu began to sniff around, trying to find the scent.

"So, what is Pikachu trying to find?" asked Iago.

"I'm not sure…" shrugged Ash as he joined Pikachu. As soon as he stood by Pikachu, the two vanished in a flash with a cloud of sand kicked up. The rest freaked at the disappearance of Ash and Pikachu.

"Ash!" gasped Aladdin. "Pikachu!" He and Abu reached the hole before everyone else did. All feared a disaster happened. Suddenly.

"Guys!" shouted Ash. "You gotta come down here! You're not gonna believe what Pikachu and I found!" Aladdin looked to Abu and Iago before jumping in, or flying down. The slide appeared and Aladdin slid down the shaft. He recovered and rolled to Ash and Pikachu to which Ash extended a hand.

"Glad to see you okay."

"And that's not all. Look!" Clearing a view, Ash and Pikachu showed everyone a huge spring. Under the moon, the spring glistened.

"Whoa, an underground spring?"

"And it looks pure!" added Iago. Abu and Carpet awed the spring's glistened appearance.

"This is an amazing discovery!" gawked Genie. Aladdin scooped some of the water to taste.

"So cool and refreshing!" he gasped. "There's so much water, one oasis isn't enough."

"Yeah, how much is in the spring?" asked Iago. That's when Genie appeared in a scuba wetsuit.

"Mind if I?" he offered. Aladdin shook his head before Genie dove. The boys waited for some time. A minute… then two minutes… After three minutes, Genie reemerged.

"Genie, what took you so long?" asked Aladdin.

"Well, the more I swam, the more I saw no bottom," Genie explained. "I swear, it's bottomless!"

"But that's great! Agrabah won't have to worry about going thirsty ever again! We need to tell Sultan and Jasmine and come up with a way to tap it over!"

"And with all the gold as well," Ash added. They exited the cave and marked the location. They soon arrived back in Agrabah while Abu was playing with a gem. Suddenly, he fumbled the green diamond and it bounced off a roof and toward the ground.

"Abu…" groaned Aladdin as he palmed his face.

"I got it," Ash allowed as he jumped after the diamond… only to be snatched by a thief lying in wait. Ash wasted only a second before giving chase. "Get back here!" Using his training from Aladdin, Ash raced the opportunist from the roof. With a look ahead, Ash saw the thief's dead end. "Helloooooooooo, capture…" The opportunist reached the dead end but not before finding a ladder to climb. He began to go up the ladder, and Ash was ready to intercept. However, a missing piece of a roof made Ash stumble. He fell from the roof and actually broke the ladder which the opportunist didn't reach the top. Both fell and hit the ground hard. Ash and the opportunist were out cold. However, it brought someone out of a hovel and to Ash as it palmed his face.

"Ash?" she called. It was Sadira. Nearby was the green diamond. In that moment, Sadira gathered Ash and brought him inside after pocketing the diamond. On a blanket of sand, Sadira looked to the young man who she became smitten with. "Maybe this is destiny." She soon realized Ash's crisis. He groaned to the pain on his back and head. Thinking fast, Sadira poured water around Ash, soaking the sand. Then, she began waiving her hands and fingers, making the sand move. It covered Ash from head to toe in cooled sand. When she completed the process, Ash's breathing began returning to normal. "Still works…" That's when Aladdin and Pikachu reached her hovel.

"Sadira?" he called. Sadira turned to Aladdin as Pikachu huddled to Ash.

"Aladdin…" When Aladdin saw Pikachu by an injured Ash, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Saw him go after a thief. Is he okay?"

"It doesn't look too bad. I'll keep him here overnight. Poor guy's probably exhausted."

"After the past couple of days, I bet." Sadira came to Pikachu and petted him.

"I'll make sure to tell him that you're okay as well."

("Thanks,") Pikachu sighed. Then, Sadira tossed the diamond to Aladdin.

"I think this is payment?" she teased.

"No, it's something from a raid at a hideout," Aladdin corrected. "We also found an underground spring. I have a great feeling that if we tap into it, Agrabah won't go thirsty again." Sadira's eyes lit up.

"Really?" She turned to Ash. "I believe he found it?"

"Well, Pikachu did. Still, I think it speaks greatly to the two." Sadira nodded to Aladdin's report.

"I might have found _my_ Prince Ali… right, Aladdin?" Hearing the title, Aladdin's cheek became red.

"I'd rather not go in that direction. Anyway, I'll come by and get him tomorrow. Goodnight." Sadira nodded to Aladdin's departure with Pikachu.

"You too, Aladdin." When Aladdin and Pikachu left, Sadira came to Ash who seemed to be smiling. "Someone's feeling a little better." She soon created a second blanket with the sand and wrapped herself by Ash. She gave him a kiss to the cheek, knowing that she's sleeping with the boy she fell in love at first sight. Both fell asleep. The night was long for Ash, and now, he's sleeping soundly… with company.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	8. O-WAY-Sis

Chapter 8: O-WAY-Sis

* * *

It's the new morning in Agrabah. Sadira's hovel had Ash asleep with Sadira in a blanket of cooled sand after he took down an opportunistic thief, only to get injured during the chase after he, Aladdin and the creatures raided a hideout. He began to stir while Sadira's arm draped around his shoulder and neck while her hand massaged his face. "Oh man…" he moaned. "I never had that happen before…" Hearing his voice, Sadira stirred to see Ash awakened.

"Morning, Ash," she cooed. Ash gawked as he glanced to the girl who fell for him.

"S-Sadira!?" A giggle from Sadira had Ash blush.

"Yep… First, I kiss you in your sleep and now I snuggle with you," The embarrassment grew on Ash as he became redder. "Of course, that was after you took down that thief. What happened?" Ash explained to Sadira about his and Aladdin's trip to the Skull and Dagger, then the raid at the hideout before the opportunist stole a gem Abu dropped while playing with it. Sadira giggled to some of the story. "That sounds just like Abu… There's nothing of value he'll overlook." Ash shook his head with a smile. That's when Jasmine and Pikachu entered the hovel.

("Ash!") squeaked Ash's Pokémon. He dashed to Ash who hugged him.

"Pikachu!" he greeted. Jasmine also came to see Ash.

"I heard from Aladdin about that thief that you stopped," Jasmine explained. "I'm glad you're alright." Ash giggled to Jasmine's sigh of relief.

"You're not the only one." After a laugh from the girls, Jasmine had a plan.

"Let's head to the Palace. Aladdin would like to see that you're okay… and you're welcome to join, Sadira." Hearing the invite, Sadira felt needed. In the Palace, Aladdin was with the creatures as the rest joined in a room.

"Sadira, thanks for watching over Ash," he honored.

"No problem," Sadira smiled. "I've enjoyed snuggling with Ash. It's not something to get worried about."

"And before, you were going after Al," Iago mentioned. "Not that I'm complaining about the switch in boys but it's something that will take time to understand." Ash blinked to Iago's point about Sadira's past. Sultan and Razoul entered the conversation.

"We have good news, Aladdin!" the ruler cheered. All turned to Sultan for the information.

"What is it, father?" asked Jasmine.

"The location of where to construct the orphanage is perfect and we've got a lot of money to use for the operation," Razoul explained.

"That's great!" greeted Aladdin. "We're hoping with the orphanage, crime within the city will go down. Aside from that, I also heard from one of the bandits from the Skull & Dagger the other night of a temple that some have entered to obtain ancient treasure." This made Razoul raise an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't be thinking about going to this temple yourself," he guessed.

"Razoul, one item at a time,"Sultan simmered. "Although, if this temple's got more treasure to grab, we can hire women to help the orphans find a place to live."

"Exactly what I'm banking on," Aladdin confirmed. "But first, we need to extract the underground spring and create an oasis." Razoul became interested in the creation.

"I'd like to see this come to fruition," he sneered. An hour later, Aladdin and Jasmine had Razoul join on Carpet to the underground spring. Genie emerged as well before Carpet's second round trip with Sadira, Ash and Pikachu with Abu riding with. Iago flew to the spring and he wasn't appreciating the struggle.

"I may be a bird, but I'm no long-distance flier," he gasped for air. "It's havoc on my feathers!" Razoul reached the hole Ash and Pikachu fell into last night.

"Down here?" he questioned.

"Down there," Aladdin confirmed. Genie popped up out of nowhere, a poof of smoke appearing before he emerged dressed for construction, noted by a hard yellow hat.

"Al, I've taken some liberty in checking the spring's depths and I've got some interesting information," he started. Aladdin and Jasmine looked to Genie as Sadira began playing with the desert sand.

"Tell us that it's good," Aladdin wished.

"So, if I tap the spring just right, I may form a second oasis nearby," he reported. "There's so much water, it could work." Aladdin nodded to Genie's assessment.

"Do what you can," he ordered. Genie saluted Aladdin as Sadira's sandy dance completed with an enormous bowl made by sand. Genie snapped his fingers to create a massive drill. Seeing this, everyone cleared out and Ash lifted Sadira from the bowl while tall orange pylons and yellow tape stretched from one pylon to the next blocked the path. Genie lowered and spun the drill into the sands. In about ten minutes, the ground began to shake. Aladdin and Jasmine held onto each other when water shot up like a geyser. Those in Agrabah saw the blast of water shooting up. They became in awe.

"WATER!" one man shouted. "WATER! It's a miracle!" Lurking outside the walls as the oases began to form with massive pools of water, grass, palm trees and fruit instantly grown.

"Heaven has smiled upon us all to give us oases!" a woman cheered.

"Agrabah will never go thirsty again!" another man cried.

"We don't have to worry about droughts anymore!" another woman praised. Back at one of the oases, Abu had climbed up a newly grown tree to snatch bananas.

"Project: Oasis… complete!" smirked Genie. Sadira came to Ash and hugged him.

"Ash, you miracle worker!" she cheered. "You came to us at the right time!" Ash patted Sadira's shoulder to get her attention.

"Sadira, that you'll have to thank Pikachu," he corrected. "He found the spring before."

("That I did,") Pikachu admitted. Quickly, Sadira collected Pikachu and hugged him.

"So, it was you, huh?"she cooed. "Let me give this to you before Jasmine, okay?" Pikachu blinked before Sadira's lips connected with his forehead. He squeaked in joy as Jasmine joined.

"I should be careful not to give Ash too much love," she sneered. "You… I guess I can love no matter what." She kissed Pikachu's cheek, another happy squeak with blushing on the Pokémon's face. Ash smiled with Abu on his shoulder eating a banana with another on hand. He offered it to Ash who was ready to have it when they heard slurping. He turned to see two adults and a white cat. The adults had white uniforms with red "R" emblems in front.

"What a relief!" a crimson redhead woman started. She had her hair curled at the tip.

"We nearly lost all will!" an ice-violet-haired man gasped.

"And water we finding?" the cat mewed, showing a gold oval coin wedged in his forehead. Ash gawked to the sight.

"Team Rocket!?" he guessed. The trio heard Ash and turned to see him.

"The twerp!" they gawked. They stood as Rajah ran through the streets of Agrabah. Aladdin and Jasmine came to Ash and Sadira looking at the trio.

"So, this is where you took Pikachu," the redhead believed.

"And I believe my friends didn't send you to look for me, Jessie?" taunted Ash.

"Like we care what your friends want," Jessie groaned. "And who's your entourage?" Aladdin and Jasmine were a little eager to learn about the three.

"So, who are they?" asked Aladdin.

"It's Team Rocket, the ones after Pikachu," Ash replied.

"Oh, yeah… you mentioned them…"

"And we'll have Pikachu if it means pleasing our boss!" the cat argued. Iago gawked to another animal able to talk.

"What!?" he snapped. He flew to the cat. "Alright, who says that you can have a human tongue like me!?"

"I was given classes to speak like dis! Problematic for youse!?"

"Problem, indeed! There's enough talking animals around here without you sticking your claws into this!"

"Yeah!? Perhaps birdbrains like youse need to respect dose who need to do dere job!"

"Like helping the people of Agrabah!? I'm actually seeing why you're after the kid's partner, but you ain't getting him, Alley Cat!"

"DAT'S ALLEY CAT POKÉMON!" Jasmine stomped her foot between the cat and Iago.

"You three will need to leave," she demanded. "As the princess of the royal city of Agrabah, I have taken custody of both oases, as well as Ash and Pikachu!" Jessie scoffed to Jasmine's demand.

"You!?" she snickered. "An overgrown pampered twerpette should learn that when you mess with Team Rocket, you have to prepare for trouble." Jasmine growled at Jessie's remark.

"We could be lurking everywhere, making it double!" the ice-violet-haired added.

"And so do we," Razoul coldly warned. "The rules of Agrabah have been passed down for generations and we have strict guidelines to follow… as do you!" He unsheathed his scimitar and pointed it at the three. Jessie scoffed once more.

"You may say so, but keep in mind that Pokémon Trainers like ourselves are not to engage in person-to-person fisticuffs," she sneered.

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's a rule that even Pikachu's twerp has to follow." Hearing Jessie's callous defense, Aladdin came forward for an explanation.

"Is this true, Ash?" he questioned.

"Well, it actually is, back home," Ash added. "It's mostly settled with a Pokémon battle, but this is a pretty good time to do so." Genie reemerged in a black and white striped shirt, a white baseball cap and a handbook open.

"Al, I hate to side with those three but they have a strong case," he muttered as he handed the handbook to Aladdin and pointed to the section.

"Let me make sure," he offered. "Human-to-human violence… Pokémon battles… rules…" As Aladdin studied the handbook, Jessie gawked to seeing Genie.

"James?" she called the ice-violet-haired man. "Meowth, am I seeing what I think it is?" The boys seemed perplexed.

"You're not referring to that being a genie, right?" guessed James. Jessie's mind raced to delight.

"It _is_ a genie! I can see what my three wishes will be!" Her laugh made Meowth and Iago shutter.

"She's gone a little crazy for a genie,"the Alley Cat muttered.

"Well, it sucks to be her," Iago shrugged. "Aladdin's already claimed and freed Genie, so… he's off the market." Jessie heard Iago and grabbed at his neck and pulling him up.

"What was that!?" she yelled. "You mean to tell me that this genie is non-accessable!?"

"Iago is telling the truth!" barked Aladdin. "Genie's my friend that I freed! He's no longer tied to his binds!" Jessie wasn't satisfied with the denial.

"Well, then… Un-free him and give him to me! I have three wishes that I want to make!" Ash heard enough of Jessie and decided to act.

"How about I have my wish granted and get rid of you this instant!" he demanded. "Torkoal, Swellow, I choose you!" He threw his balls and they popped open to have Torkoal's and Swellow's appear.

"Looks like we're getting to see whatg makes Ash so special," Jasmine believed.

"So it looks like we'll be battling for the genie as well as Pikachu! Stammered Jessie. "Go, Seviper!" Her ball was thrown and popped open, revealing a dark zigzag snake with a gold plate on its face and a blade for a tail. Aladdin shuttered to Seviper's appearance.

"Snakes…" he mulled. "It just had to be snakes." James had thrown his ball into the fray.

"Cacnea, let's go!" he summoned as his ball opened and out came a cactus-like ball with stubby legs. It flew back to James and hugged him, the nettles piercing his body and giving him incredible pain. "If you need fluids, there's clean water right there!" Jessie launched Seviper to attack as Jasmine held Pikachu.

"Seviper, use Poison Tail!" she demanded. Seviper's tail began to glow as it came right at Torkoal.

"Cacnea, Needle Arm!" ordered James. Cacnea leaped at Swellow. Ash had to act while Rajah reached the scene and got to Ash's side.

"Iron Defense, Torkoal!" he ordered. "Swellow, use Peck!" Torkoal's head and legs retracted back in his shell as the tail slashed it. Torkoal flew a little bit but he reemerged from his shell rather unharmed. Swellow started pecking relentlessly to Cacnea, sending it back to the grass.

"Cacnea, no!" cried James.

"Use Haze, Seviper!" demanded Jessie. Seviper spat thick smoke which covered the area. Iago backed away.

"That's not considered healthy!" he argued. When the smoke cleared, Meowth looked to find Rajah in his face. He screamed at seeing Jasmine's tiger.

"What's dis!" he gawked. Rajah swiped at Meowth, but he leaped clear from the claws of the tiger. Jessie's was a little upset at Rajah's interference.

"Hey, only Pokémon can battle!" she stammered. "Seviper, give that cat a big Bite!" Seviper's took aim at Rajah but Ash was quick on the draw, as was Torkoal. James threw Cacnea at Swellow.

"Use Pin Missile!" he commanded. Swellow was flying right at Cacnea.

"Swellow, Aerial Ace!" ordered Ash. Swellow vanished before striking behind Cacnea with its arms extended. That's when Swellow's wing swung and blasted Cacnea and crushing Seviper in the head. "Let's give them something hotter than sunburn, Torkoal… Overheat!" Torkoal's body was burning red before blasting a white flame that got both Seviper and Cacnea. The flame pushed the Pokémon back to Team Rocket.

"Seviper!" cried Jessie. Jasmine and Pikachu nodded in their decision.

"You lose, Team Rocket!" she declared. "Now, vacate Agrabah or be arrested!" Instead of surrendering, Jessie gave Jasmine a stern look.

"Never! Team Rocket doesn't surrender until Pikachu is in our hands and we can get home!" James and Meowth shook their heads to Jessie's claim.

"Jessie, you told us to go after Pikachu and not do anything else!" reminded James. "We've also been out here for the past two days chasing you instead of listening to us!"

"And who's fault is that!?" she snapped back. Abu swooped in and began to yank on Meowth's coin. His yelping had Jessie come to Meowth's aid.

"Hey, that's not yours!" she argued as she reached for Abu. Aladdin's monkey saw the hand and bit her. "Ouch! Why you!" Abu ran off in fear as Swellow nailed the trio ion a barrage of pecks. Genie turned into a cowboy and lassoed the group.

"Once a free genie," he stated. "Always a free genie." With one fling, Genie sent the Rockets into the sky. They screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Dat's one way to know what to expect in dis sandbox!" cried Meowth.

"True, but at least we didn't go down from thirst!" agreed James.

"That Pikachu and genie will be mine soon!" argued Jessie. All three flew into the far ends of sight.

"WE'LL BE BACK!" they cried together as they left. Ash and the Pokémon watched in delight.

"It was a shame not to put them in the dungeon," Razoul groaned.

"You'll get another chance, Razoul," Ash sighed. "They'll always come after Pikachu." Sadira hugged Ash as Aladdin and Jasmine reached Torkoal and Swellow.

"So, that's what Pokémon Battles are like," Aladdin awed.

"Well, you two did wonderfully out there," Jasmine praised.

("Against them,") Swellow cawed. ("It's nothing.")

("But, thanks, princess!") cried Torkoal with tears running down his face.

"Well, they wouldn't have done a great job without Ash commanding them," Sadira sneered. She had her arms draped around his shoulders.

"If there was any worry that you and Aladdin had something in common," Jasmine smiled. "Those worries are likely over." There was some laughter as someone was watching from a black flame somewhere else.

"Sadira, Sand Witch apprentice of the sisters," a young man studied. "She learned from Shakata, Razili and Farida."

"She has sand magic?" a groggily voice asked.

"That's right. Her ability can be beneficial with the sands we have, if we want control of Agrabah's magic. Thus I must _have_ that power!"

"But what about him?"

"The boy? Nothing… besides, those three who he out-talented? They may prove useful." His laugh came out but no one heard it. Agrabah began to see a steady stream of citizens gathering water from the oases. In Aladdin's hovel, Ash had Pikachu, Abu and Iago hanging with him.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised that Team Rocket came after me and Pikachu," Ash sighed.

"Those three clowns?" nagged Iago. "I find it upsetting that they decided to come here from your world and not bring one of your friends. What was that small guy's name? Max? I bet he and I would get along pretty well." Ash scoffed to the thought.

"I have doubts." Looking to the night sky with a banana in hand, Ash began to get sleepy. "Well, we have a temple to storm tomorrow… Full rest is needed."

("Good idea,") Pikachu agreed as they and Abu tuck themselves in for sleep. Iago sighed before choosing to sleep as well. With a temple full of deadly traps, could Ash and Aladdin find the passage to obtain more?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. Temple Tantrum

_Chapter 9: Temple Tantrum_

* * *

Agrabah's impact was being felt long and wide from Ash's acts: getting two oases made and having an orphanage built in the royal city. Ash came to see a large hovel with Razoul and the guards watching. "How's the construction going?"

"It's going well, young mouse!" acknowledged Razoul. "The orphanage will be up and running soon… however, the funds we got from the hideout won't be enough to run the orphanage."

"That's right, but we have something else to help compensate for it." Razloul's ears perked.

"What do you mean?" It took a moment for Razoul to realize the discussion. "It has to do with the Street Rat. I know better than to trust Aladdin, even though he's Jasmine's fiance." Razoul's explanation made Ash sigh.

"You'll never let it go, huh?"

"Not exactly. If he becomes Sultan, I may surrender my grudge." Ash and Pikachu, who was on Ash's head, billowed a sigh. They reported in with Jasmine in the palace where they discussed the new plan to rake in money.

"You gathered all that information from the Skull & Dagger?" she asked.

"I know, it's a lot for a small stint at that hideout," Aladdin shrugged. "It's a short ride where it would be a day-long trek on camel."

"Or in Ash's world, a Camerupt," Genie joked as he showed an orange heavy-set, short-legged camel with two volcano-like humps and blue circles on each side. "I borrowed Ash's PokéDex so that I can learn more about his world-"

"Genie, that's not important," Jasmine shut down.

"Right, sorry…" hushed Genie. Iago came to Ash.

"I heard the update on the orphanage, kid," he beaked. "We need more money and we can't use what's in the vault here."

"More than the ¼ Sultan wants to spend," Ash reminded.

"Right, just that much… If this storm into the temple nets anything good, we'll be rolling in the dough. I'd rather not see the princess upset that you go there and return empty handed."

"They wouldn't have traps there for no reason. There's something valuable for the right raider to claim it." This made Iago snicker.

"Now, that's an optimist." Ash grinned as Jasmine came to Aladdin. Concern was on her face.

"Aladdin, just make sure Ash is okay when you come out of there," she advised. Aladdin blinked to Jasmine's concern.

"Uh, Jasmine?" he gulped. "You're worried for him? Not me? Did I do something-"

"No, no… nothing like that! It's just… I want to have Ash witness his his dream of the orphanage in full operation before he returns to his world. I like him, but… he's more suited for Sadira anyway." Aladdin sighed in relief.

"I see… I thought it was that you wanted Ash to love and not me anymore."

"I mean, I do… but not that way." Aladdin bobbed a nod to Jasmine's understanding.

"I'll make sure he's safe." The two kissed before he tapped Ash on the shoulder. "Let's go!" Ash nodded before going back to Jasmine.

"We'll be back with a good haul," he promised.

"I'm sure," Jasmine hoped. "I'll look into hiring people for the orphanage. I know Kahvid and Yani are on your mind." Ash and Pikachu nodded before they chased Aladdin and Abu with Iago and Genie behind. Boarding Carpet, Aladdin, Ash, Genie and the creatures headed out to the temple. As they left, the Sultan entered to see Jasmine with her hands interlocked.

"That boy is meaning so much to you," he assessed.

"No, father," Jasmine shook. "He means so much to Agrabah." The boys flew over the desert sands. Ash felt confident in the temple run.

"We're coming close!" he alerted. They found a large temple by dunes with Agrabah merely a speck in the desert.

"Alright, let's be careful going in!" warned Aladdin. Carpet stopped and lowered himself to let Aladdin and Ash off. They entered the temple.

("Wished we had a flashlight,") Pikachu muttered. They began innocently enough with no trap activating. They soon crossed a huge hole in the floor without anyone stepping over it.

"I don't think this was opened recently," Ash assumed.

"No, but at least we know we avoided that pit," Iago gulped. Genie summoned a torch and hung it over the pit, revealing spikes and skeletal remains.

"That's a few ways to go down at once," Aladdin muttered.

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good," Genie agreed. Iago flew Abu to the other side., as did Genie to Aladdin and Carpet to Ash and Pikachu. Genie's lamp allowed Aladdin's crew to search the walls for booby traps. They found bones and skulls of raiders beforehand, their efforts being unsuccessful.

"You'd think with the remains of these guys," Iago pointed out. "Us running into a trap would seems less and less likely." That's when they found portions of the ceiling start to slide down. It increased speed.

"Move!" shouted Aladdin. Everyone dove forward and cleared the falling pillar. They looked back after everyone checked themselves.

"You were saying?" replied Ash.

"Shut up…" growled Iago. They continued onward when portions of walls closed in, forcing the boys to scramble. The group stopped to breathe after outracing the walls and another ceiling falling on them.

"Okay, I have a feeling this cave wants only the toughest to get through," Aladdin assessed.

"We've gone this far," Ash gasped for air. "I'm not one to disappoint Kahvid and Yani after that."

"I know… and I know you'd do anything for those two and other orphans in Agrabah." Ash nodded to Aladdin's understanding. That's when Aladdin saw Pikachu's ears perked. "Someone coming?"

("I think so,") he whispered. Everyone huddled as a light came closer. That's when Team Rocket showed up with James holding a flashlight.

"So, you think the twerp came in here for something?" wondered Jessie. "Besides, a temple like this with all these traps… I get that he's not the brightest bulb in the lighthouse but this may be his worst decision."

"To seek adventure or to get away from us?" guessed James.

"I'd say da former, Jimmy Boy," Meowth pondered.

"I'd say the same," Jessie agreed. "If it's new, he'll want to see it for himself." The Rockets trailed off and Aladdin's crew knew they could be trouble.

"If those guys find the treasure before us," Aladdin whispered. "It'll be a setback to funding the orphanage." Ash believed Aladdin's take.

"And battling them inside this place would cause the temple to collapse," Ash assumed. "I mean, more than it's already falling." That's when Iago had an idea with a snicker.

"Just leave those buffoons to moi," he offered. Everyone looked to the parrot with a confused wonder.

"You?" pointed Ash. That's when Aladdin snapped his fingers.

"Of course…" he realized. "We're counting on you." Iago nodded before flying off to the Rockets who reached two paths.

"So, which path do we go down?" questioned James. Iago waited to see the path they took.

"This way," Jessie decided. James and Meowth looked down the path and then back to Jessie.

"You sure?" the Alley Cat Pokémon asked. Iago swiftly flew toward the opposite path while Jessie smiled.

"I like the look of that path," she argued.

"And what's that look you saw?" questioned James.

"I just do! Let's get going!" As they proceeded down one path, Iago returned to the fork. He peered to the trio's pathway.

"Listening to the kid, this will work like a charm!" he quietly sneered before flying back to the other pathway. A little while later, Iago cleared his throat. "Great choice, Pikachu!" he lied, using Ash's voice. Ash and Pikachu gawked to Iago's manipulation of Ash's voice. Team Rocket stopped and turned back, the flashlight revealing the way back. "No traps so far!" The trio gawked to hear Iago and believe they traveled down the wrong hall.

"Guess Jessie's prediction was wrong!" gulped James.

"Twerp's behind us all da time and found a safe route?" believed Meowth.

"Well, let's get to the twerp and get Pikachu!" ordered Jessie. They returned to the fork before making a U-Turn into the other path without the flashlight on. Seconds later, a horde of screams echoed from the path, forcing Aladdin's crew to rush in with the lantern illuminating again. A minute later, Ash found the flashlight, powered it on and lit Team Rocket pinned to the wall.

"What's the meaning of this!?" bellowed Jessie. A volley of arrows kept Team Rocket attached to the wall, one arrow betwixt Jessie's legs and pinning her skirt down. "I never thought you'd stoop to this level, twerp!"

"Whoa, don't blame him!" defended Aladdin. "That wasn't him who said to go down this path." Iago rested on Ash's free shoulder.

"What are you, deaf!? He _clearly_ was the one who complimented Pikachu to come down here!"

"Are you sure? You must have heard something different."

"Oh, I know what I heard!"

"Are you sure about that?" questioned Iago, using Ash's voice. The Rockets gawked to the realization. "It might have been a voice in your head." Ash gave Iago a smug.

"Oh, you are evil," he grinned as he fived Iago's wing.

"I thought I got over being the villain!" laughed Iago. Team Rocket had astonished looks to Iago.

"A talent like that would trick the twerp's Pokémon if he's not careful," James awed.

"James, did you forget what happened to us?" reminded Meowth. "Just now?" Jessie seemed annoyed at how their trek fell to pieces.

"Okay, enough patting yourselves on the back for a good trick," she nagged. "How about getting us down from here? What could be here that you guys are looking for? A magic lamp? A path back to the Pokémon World?" Genie appeared in the royal guard outfit.

"Already in the process," Genie exclaimed. "Maybe we can hold you in the dungeon and that way, we can bring you all back." Jessie snarled at the idea.

"No dungeon can hold me, you magical ingrate!" she snapped. Aladdin shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, have it your way!" he surrendered with a smile. His gang headed back around as Jessie got irate to the boys leaving them pinned to the wall.

"Hey, at least get us down!" she bellowed. "You can't treat a woman like this!" Aladdin's crew ignored the trio and proceeded as more traps came out the other pathway. One set were three ax-like pendulums that swung in a pattern. Ash saw the pattern and leaped through without one pendulum touching him.

"Nice!" sneered Aladdin. Ash grinned as he pointed to Aladdin.

"Your turn!" he noted. Aladdin watched the pattern closely before moving to the pendulums. With one dive, he squirted through without a blade nicking him. Carpet weaved around with little effort while Abu, Pikachu and Iago on board. Genie was last, but he was too slow. His body was sliced and fell into the ground in slabs.

"Ouch…" he snapped. Iago sighed to Genie.

"You need to work on your timing," he mulled.

"Yeah, for sure. This should take a second." He pulled himself back together and they found a heavily dark room. Everyone looked around.

"Great, all that effort for this?" groaned Aladdin. The lantern showed all walls and floor.

"Let's not give up," Ash urged. "We need to check every inch of this. We've come too far and seen too many remains to quit."

"In case you don't realize, kid," Iago started. "THERE'S NOTHING HERE!"

"Iago, you give up too soon. Relax and think about where we haven't looked." Just then, Ash stepped and the ground gave way a little. He stumbled and soon regained his footing but the temple shook.

"What now!?" shrieked Aladdin. That's when a slab of wall collapsed. It also stopped the tremor as now the boys looked. Inside was a room full of gold and jewels. The boys' eyes widened instantly.

"Jackpot!" cheered Genie.

"It's the mother-load!" yelled Iago. Ash and Aladdin ruffled through the gold coins, and Aladdin's grin got wide.

"It's real!" he determined. "It's all real!" He had a quick scan over the gold as Abu began to pocket some gold gems. "Ash, all this here… The Sultan can hold onto all the money in the Palace! There's so much, we could afford at least three orphanages!"

"That's awesome!" laughed Ash. "Let's get it and get out!"

"Okay, but I'm keeping some!" argued Iago. That's when Genie had summoned a vacuum.

"Oh, don't mind me," he giggled as he looked like a maid. "Just trying to keep the temple spotless." As soon as the gold was sucked up, Aladdin smiled to the result.

"Alright, let's head back to Agrabah!" he ordered. Everyone else agreed and left. Minutes after leaving the temple, two figures found Team Rocket, one silhouette being an eel. The other was of a grown person.

"I saw how you were easily deceived," the taller figure said. "Quite the shame how a birdbrain made fools of you." Looking, Team Rocket saw a grown but rather young raven-haired man in dark clothes, including a black turban. He also wore a glove on his right hand. By him was a gray eel that floated in midair. Jessie smirked at the new man.

"Looks like someone came from the beach for me," she sneered. "Who might you be, handsome?" The man snickered a little.

"I am Mozenrath," he announced. "I rule the Land of the Black Sands. With your cooperation, we can bring Agrabah to their mercy…" Jessie's was eager to agree to help Mozenrath as the eel pulled the bolts from Meowth.

"First time, I help cat from wall!" he hissed.

"First, dat parrot and now, dis?" wondered Meowth.

"Xerxes is my loyal subject," Mozenrath introduced. "Regardless, I'll need your help." Jessie was quick to debate.

"I like you already, but we're after the twerp's Pikachu," she argued.

"I saw, and if I have your help, we can get what we wanted," Mozenrath offered. "With a few... friends that I can call forth… the Seven Deserts will be ruled by us." He began to lead the Rockets out as the sun was near the edge. Hours later after a nice dinner, Jasmine allowed Ash to stay in the Palace and the spare room as they were tired from the haul.

"As soon as the Sultan saw the gold we uncovered," Ash reviewed with Carpet, Iago and Abu. Pikachu's nowhere to be seen.

"I know, right!?" he squawked, interrupting Ash mid-sentence. "He was so moved by the haul, he had his servants create a meal that stuffed us to tomorrow night at least! I mean, we did hit the jackpot and all… Maybe you can get something for Sadira? You're already getting Kahvid and Yani the orphanage, right?"

"Maybe… All I know is that the orphans will soon have a place to stay until new people can raise them." With one yawn, Ash was tuckered. "Well, night."

"Sleep easy, kid." With the lights out, their shadows crept out of nowhere before flying away. In a new, grassy plain, a silhouette of a grown woman saw a few shadows. The woman looked to have part of the galaxy.

"A new arrival huh?" she wondered. The shadow seemed to look like Ash before his wardrobe change. She came to see the shadow. "Welcome, I am Pharabu. And you are?" Ash's shadow tried to say something as Pikachu's shadow also came by. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Ash," the shadow named itself. "I'm... surprised I can talk outside my body."

"Ash, huh? I can see-" That's when she felt a warmth unlike anything she met. "You! A special power resides within you. Perhaps, one that gives warmth to those around?" Ash's shadow nodded before Pharabu hugged it. "Stay for a spell. Whoever your body is, I may find myself going to see you in person." The shadows flew everywhere within the area while Pharabu held Ash, even giving him a kiss.. With a new danger on the horizon, Ash and Pikachu will need to help Aladdin and those in Agrabah.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	10. Start of Mozen's Wrath

_Chapter 10: Start of Mozen's Wrath_

* * *

The new morning rose in Agrabah. Ash woken to the sun but as soon as he sat up, he felt his forehead. "That's weird…" he wondered. He checked his fingers, but they were clean. Jasmine soon walked in on Ash.

"Good morning, Ash," she greeted. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm… not sure… I felt a kiss here…" That's when he had a thought, "You didn't sneak in and -" Jasmine's giggle quieted him.

"I would rather do it while you're awake." This made Ash wonder about something else. "You don't think Sadira sneaked into the Palace for me, huh?" Abu heard Ash from outside and laughed.

"Yeah, she would need to know you're here and get pass Razoul. Let's get something to eat." Ash rolled out and soon joined Jasmine and Abu. A little while later, they're joined by Aladdin, Pikachu, Iago, Sultan and Rajah. The room was full of books and scrolls, beakers and containers. "Jafar's Lair."

"Yeah, it's about time we cleaned this out," Genie grunted. He turned into the maid. "All sorts of dust around… It's gonna take sometime to clean this all up." He summoned bags and bins with a triangle on it. They tossed each book and scroll into the bins.

"Is it alright if I ask who Jafar was?" asked Ash.

"Just hearing that name gives me shivers, even though he's dead," Jasmine huffed. "He was the vizier of Agrabah before Aladdin took over."

"Yeah, by looking at him, no doubt he was twice your age, Jasmine," Aladdin remembered.

"At least…" Seeing Jasmine's head shake, Aladdin continued on.

"Anyway, he was a sorcerer. He used his magic to manipulate the Palace, including Sultan." The aforementioned Sultan shook off the story. "Anyway, he wanted to rule Agrabah with an iron fist. All that stood in the way was Sultan, Jasmine… and myself." Ash and Pikachu blinked as Iago flew onto Ash's shoulder.

"Believe me," he voiced. "I was his servant for a long time. There's still some trust issues today with that background." Ash nodded, believing him.

"Anyway, Aladdin and Jafar were after my hand in marriage," Jasmine added. "Although, Jafar's plan was to go after Aladdin's lamp. When Jafar used Genie and wished to be a genie himself." This made Ash blink.

"Something tells me the wish backfired," he guessed.

"It did, but on him," Aladdin sneered. "See, never underestimate the smarts of a Street Rat. I turned Jafar's wish back on him. It also helped when he attacked us after Abis Mal uncovered him: by destroying Jafar's lamp, Jafar was gone for good."

"Yeah, when a genie's lamp is gone, the genie assigned to it is gone," Genie informed.

"So, you can also be gone if your lamp's gone too," Ash studied. "Right?"

"Well, not really. I'm a free Genie. I lose my lamp, nothing really happens."

"I see… Makes me wanna think what to do with this room. Maybe make it into a baby room?" Aladdin and Jasmine laughed to the idea.

"That's a funny idea," Aladdin chuckled. As they continued to clean the lair, Mozenrath and his eel guided Team Rocket in a new temple.

"So, what are we doing here?" asked Jessie.

"We are here for a gathering," Mozenrath stated. "I know going against that Street Rat alone will never be enough, now that he's got that kid and… _that_ Pikachu that you're after." Team Rocket seemed to be behind Mozenrath's goal. "Besides, the Land of the Black Sand is my domain."

"Well, that's great to know," James gulped. "So, any other colored lands of sand? Like red? Gold?" They entered a large room where yellow mechanical bugs were being adjusted by a slim raven-haired man with a hairstyle that looked to be a pair of pillars. He wore a red tunic and a white sash.

"Why did it have to be in a dusty and dank location where mildew grows in the most unorthodox of places!?" he grumbled as he adjusted a telescopic monocle. "It would've been a wiser location in my workshop!"

"Because no one but us will know the plan to eliminate Aladdin, Mechanicles," Mozenrath stated. Mechanicles turned to Mozenrath and Team Rocket, but James came to the machines with awe.

"Are these made of gold?" he asked.

"No, it's a brass alloy, and these will swarm Agrabah with my revenge as my moniker!" snapped Mechanicles.

"I gotta say," Jessie studied. "For something long before our time, these aren't half-bad." To Mechanicles, it felt like an insult.

"In Layman's terms, they're also not half-_good_!" he shot back. Jessie retreated back to Mozenrath.

"He's one case of a screw loose," she gulped.

"Perhaps," Mozenrath sighed. "But when magic is ineffective, his machinery is nothing to scoff at. Mechanicles is one of the brightest members of this league." Mechanicles seemed to smile at the praise.

"Now, Mozenrath…" he huffed. "Chivalry will donate you no merit." Meowth wasn't sure to take Mechanicles for his word.

"How many screws loose is he?" he asked. Before Mozenrath could answer, flames erupted and two cats made of fire emerged. Behind them was a black cat standing like a human. She wore a red robe and a gold headdress with a cobra as a decal.

"So, this is the Land of the Black Sand," she surveyed. "Easier on these eyes…" Mozenrath sneered to the new cat woman as Meowth's eyes had hearts in place and his heart physically beating through his chest.

"Mirage, your timing is impeccable," he teased.

"Only when the feeling is mutual will I understand the reason-" she stopped as she gazed at Meowth pawing toward her with the hearts in his eyes.

"Now, dat's a tall glass of Miltank milk I'll drink anyday," he swooned. The fire cats hissed, snapping Meowth back to reality and retreating.

"It's a pain that the Breeding Twerp's rubbing off on Meowth rather than Pikachu's twerp," Jessie realized. "Maybe he's a better judgment of women than the big guy."

"Sentiments aside, I bequeath to you Mirage," Mozenrath introduced. Mechanicles gawked to seeing the human-like feline.

"Mirage, the rumored evil incarnation of the great Cleopatra," he thought. "At least, that's what I've heard in the winds. Rather peculiar that she and her fire cats would stand in this place than back in Morbia."

"Only when I heard the declaration of our target, Aladdin," Mirage briefed. "Besides, if turning the princess into an anthropomorphic snake failed, I can only imagine what Mozenrath has to offer." Mozenrath's sneer never left his face.

"We'll start discussing the matter once the last member arrives," he mentioned. Team Rocket became interested as the fire cats pawed forward, keeping Meowth back.

"Who else is dere?" he hesitantly wondered. "And could you keep dese Meowths back!? It's already hot in here!" To Mechanicles, one person came to his mind.

"Oh, please, let it not be Abis Mal!" he denied. "That bumbling fool would make a racket with my machines!" James gawked to the name.

"Abysmal!?" he incorrectly repeated. "Who would name their twerp that!?"

"Actually, if I had a record of his feats of failure, you'll see that the name fits him to the letter," Mechanicles muttered.

"Oh, you don't say…" That's when Mozenrath waived his arms and created a black veil. Out came a skeletal being with a purple robe and a gold cylindrical crown. Team Rocket gawked in fear of the new character.

"Zombie!" they shrieked.

"Oh, no, no, no!" the skeletal being denied. "I am… Ayam Aghoul! Duke of the undead!" Team Rocket still felt intimidated by his appearance.

"Quite a fitting name," James gulped. Mozenrath seemed eager with Ayam's appearance.

"Welcome, Aghoul," he greeted. "I… an Mozenrath. I summoned you from beyond the grave again." Ayam sighed to the summon.

"Figures that a sorcerer of black magic would be able to do so," he said. "Anyway, you need my magic as well?"

"Indeed. You'll have the Mamluks to command." With a wave, skeletal guards with scimitars rose from the ground. Meowth leaped onto James' head.

"Zombies!" he screeched. Mozenrath held his hand up, the skeletal guards staying put.

"The Mamluks will provide a great plan with your consent," Ayam praised.

"Then they're yours to follow," Mozenrath assured. Mirage believed the plan schemed by Mozenrath would be good.

"This is a nice gathering for a chance to dominate not just Agrabah," she sneered. "To eliminate Aladdin and his friends… That is what's cherished in all of this." That made Jessie go to Mirage with a bit of anger in her face.

"Now, look here, you pussycat!" she stammered. "As long as you don't hurt Pikachu, I'll be fine with it!" Mirage blinked to her demand.

"What's this… Pikachu? And should it worry me?"

"Oh, it will if anything happens! Leave the twerp and Pikachu to Team Rocket!"

"I'll decide what I'll eliminate, and you have no power to say otherwise."

"I dare you to say that again!" The argument continued while Kaveed and Yani seemed to have come across a large structure in what was once an opened area of Agrabah. Children in rags and depraved of much nourishment. Two women stood by the door and greeted the kids.

"What's this?" asked Yani.

"I believe it's the orphanage that was being made," Kaveed believed.

"What's an orphanage?"

"I don't know, but I see a few kids going in."

"Hey, I bet an orphanage is for us, Kaveed! Orphanage and orphans like us!"

"Okay, but what is it?" Out of nowhere, someone answered.

"Call it a place for orphaned kids like you two to wait for a family to give you a home," Ash sounded. Kaveed and Yani turned to see Ash and Pikachu with Ash wearing the clothes when he fell into the Trapinch hole. Kaveed and Yani rushed to Ash and Pikachu.

"Ash!" they cried. Seeing Ash's clothes, Kaveed seemed to appreciate the look.

"_This_ is what you came in?" asked Kaveed.

"This is," Ash confirmed. "I had Genie clean it before I could use it again."

"It looks really cool on you," Yani awed.

"Thanks!" smiled Ash. "Anyway, what do you think? After our time together, I'd rather see you in a family soon." This gave Kaveed a hint.

"So, you're the one who got the orphanage to get built, huh?" she sneered.

"I did and you guys were the inspiration," Ash admitted. Kaveed and Yani felt blessed for Ash's gift.

"Well, at least I can give you this for the trouble," Yani praised. "Sure, you're not Aladdin but…" That's when they both hugged Ash for a place to stay warm.

"Thanks, you two…" Kaveed and Yani laughed to Ash's reaction. Meanwhile at the Marketplace, Jasmine and Sadira were scoping out some of the stands. Jasmine was back in her cloak.

"Some of these fragrances smell great," Jasmine believed. "Which should I get for tonight's carpet ride date?" Sadira heard Jasmine's plan.

"A carpet ride date huh?" she repeated.

"Well, Aladdin and I have these dates where we fly over… everything but the moon. We do see new stuff on each date." Sadira awed the princess' experience.

"Wow… I wish there was a chance for Ash and myself to have that ride."

"I'm sure Aladdin and I can fit one before Genie sends Ash back home." As they continued, Mechanicles' bugs emerged and the two were surrounded.

"What's with these bugs?"

"Those must be from Mechanicles." Before the girls could do anything, a flash. That night, Aladdin entered the guest room as Carpet and Genie were playing paper football. Ash had been back in the duds but wanted to wear a black t-shirt with a yellow stripe across his chest and located under his arms.

"Guys?" called out aladdin. Everyone turned to Aladdin as Carpet flicked the triangle football over Genie's hands and off his head.

"What's up, Al?" asked Ash. Pikachu, Iago and Abu also stopped eating to see.

"Did Jasmine come by?" wondered Aladdin. Everyone looked to each other as Carpet shrugged.

("Not really,") Pikachu squeaked. Aladdin sighed and looked around.

"Where is she?" he wondered, a little worried. "We're suppose to go on our Carpet Ride Date."

"A date on Carpet they do," Iago whispered to Ash. Before Ash could answer, a pouch flew into the room. All looked to the sound.

"A pouch?" guessed Ash. That's when black sands emerged out of the pouch and formed a mirror and Mozenrath appeared.

"Hello, Aladdin…" he taunted. "My old nemesis." Aladdin seethed to the sight.

"Mozentrath!" he growled. Ash and Pikachu looked to who Mozenrath was.

"It's been a while but I had to get your attention one way or another… After all, I heard rumors of a new resident in the Palace." To Aladdin, it was a threat.

"There's no way we're giving you the Palace!"

"No even in exchange for your princess? Or the Sand Witch?" Hearing the name, Ash became alert.

"Sadira!" he called out. Aladdin now sensed something wrong.

"You bring Jasmine and Sadira back!" he demanded.

"That won't do," Mozenrath teased. "Especially with the forces I have working for your demise. Be prepared for… a reckoning if you value these girls." He vanished and the sands plopped to the ground. Hearing Mozenrath, Ash knew he needed to be stopped.

"Alright, Mozenrath… This time, it's too far." Ash blinked to Aladdin's stare.

"Mozenrath's bad news," he studied.

"Oh, is he ever!" voiced Genie. "He is the ruler of the Land of the Black Sands who's after power!"

"And we're gonna give him more power than he'll expect," Aladdin sneered. "Ash, Pikachu… I'm gonna need your help if we're bringing Mozenrath to his knees." Ash and Pikachu nodded, knowing any help would be crucial. It's a race now as Aladdin is preparing for a storm with Mozenrath, not knowing his army was ready and waiting.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED… IN 2020.


	11. Sands Up!

_Chapter 11: Sands Up!_

* * *

Aladdin, Ash and their friends flew over a land over dark-colored sand on Carpet. "So, this is the Land of the Black Sand, huh?" asked Ash.

"Yeah, and where Mozenrath has Jasmine and Sadira," Aladdin reminded. Using Mechanicles' machines, Mozenrath kidnapped Jasmine and Sadira and demanded Aladdin's hand to turn Agrabah to him. Little did he and Ash know, a team of bad guys awaited them.

"Sounds like Mozenrath being bad is an understatement."

"You think? Mozenrath is a sorcerer who resides here with his flying eel, Xerxes. They wanted Genie to rule everything. He's tried multiple times but Abu, Iago, Genie and I stopped him each time, like when he controlled the sprites."

"Don't remind me of the sprites, Al…" grumbled Iago. The castle was in sight. That's when they saw the Mamulks by the front door.

"Seems they're expecting us," Aladdin studied.

"Even so, why go after Sadira?" pondered Ash. "What could she have that Mozenrath wants?" Genie snapped his fingers, changing into a look of Sherlock Holmes with a tobacco pipe.

"Elementary, my dear Ash," he started before blowing through his pipe, bubbles coming out instead of smoke. "Considering they're both users in magic, there's a fine chance Mozenrath is after Sadira's sand magic." He reverted from his detective form. "Combining that with his sorcery, Mozenrath may use it to snare us in his quicksand."

"But kidnapping Jasmine only makes sense if he's luring us into a trap," Aladdin assumed. Pikachu watched from Ash's shoulder as did Abu on Aladdin's.

("Who are they?") he asked as he pointed to the Mamulks.

"No surprised that Mozenrath's Mamulks are lying in wait," Aladdin warned. "Luckily, we'll take the backdoor." Carpet flew around the castle and to a door in the back. When they opened, they saw one of Mechanicles' mechanical bugs flying by. Everyone took cover. "Now, that doesn't make sense. That's one of Mechanicles' bugs." To Ash, they weren't dealing with one bad guy. "But why would that clean freak be here where the black sands can clog up his machines?" To Iago, it wasn't a coincidence.

"When you suspected this to be a trap, I think I know what you mean," he whispered. "What's next, Mirage's blazers?"

"Maybe even Team Rocket being here," Ash scorned.

"Could be," Aladdin thought. "We can't let any of them corner us together." The boys began to ponder a plan.

("So what do we do?") asked Pikachu. Aladdin nodded and turned to Ash.

"You, Pikachu and Iago go down one way," he plotted. "And Genie, Carpet, Abu and I will head down the other path." Ash nodded, knowing they have a better chance to isolate the enemies in here.

"Let's do it," he accepted and headed down one way with Pikachu and Iago on his shoulders.

"Are you sure Ash is capable?" asked Genie.

"We've seen Ash in his training," Aladdin reminded. "I think he'll be fine." He led Genie and Carpet down the other path. Meanwhile, Mozenrath had his gloved arm over a shackled Sadira as she screamed in pain. A tan glow flew from Sadira to Mozenrath's gauntlet.

"Stop this, Mozenrath!" demanded Jasmine.

"Oh, don't worry, princess…" he assured. "You're only here as bait for Aladdin. It's this girl who I really need." He continued as Ash and Aladdin raced around. One turn of the corner had Aladdin, Abu, Carpet and Genie entered a workshop.

"So, this is where Mechanicles got room," Genie believed.

"Which still doesn't make sense," Aladdin shrugged. "Why would he be here? The sand would make it difficult to keep his machines working." That's when Abu tried to lift metal plates. He hooted to his partner. Carpet took the plate and gave it to Genie, the plate being razor thin.

"Maybe, he's found a good metal to protect his machines." Genie handed the sheet to Aladdin.

"How do you get metal this thin?" In walked Mechanicles and he was a little outraged at seeing his sheets in Aladdin's hands.

"Get your smarmy hands off my material!" he stammered. Aladdin and Genie turned to the mechanic of the machines.

"Nice to see you, too… Mechanicles," Aladdin sneered. Abu saw a flame coming from behind Mechanicles and hooted in a panic. "Abu, what is it?" Looking behind Mechanicles, everyone saw the Fire Cats. "Iago was right… those are Mirage's Fire Cats!"

"Yes, but being forced to work alongside Morbia's ruler will be sufficient!" grinned Mechanicles.

"Okay, how big of a trap did Mozenrath set for us?" asked Genie. As the Fire Cats slowed down to corner Aladdin, Ash and the animals on his shoulders found Team Rocket and stopped.

"Guess who!?" teased Meowth. Ash scowled to the reunion of the enemies.

"Team Rocket…" he sighed. "I guess you're working for Mozenrath, now?"

"I know a winner when I see one, twerp," Jessie sneered. From behind, more Mamulks appeared with Aghoul just behind. It made Iago gulp in fear.

"How many old enemies are we gonna see in this shindig!?" he gawked.

"He's familiar?" wondered Ash.

"Oh, he knows me, little boy," Aghoul cackled. "I am… Ayam Aghoul! Duke of the Undead!" Ash blinked to the name.

"Ayam… Aghoul?" he repeated. "That's an… interesting name."

"Yeah, tell me about it," James sighed. "After all…" Rather than listen, Ash repeated Aghoul's name.

"Ayam, that's like saying 'I am'…" he muttered to himself. "And then Aghoul… It would be like saying that 'I am a-'" He stopped at realizing Aghoul's name and plopped his hand to his face. "Okay! _That's…_ original!"

"I'm glad you like how it sounds," Aghoul smiled.

"Tell me about it, much better than Abis Mal," he pointed out.

"With a name like that," Jessie voiced. "Makes me glad he's not in the story. Sure, he's been said a few times, but it's just how ridiculous it sounds." Ash shook his head in the regard.

"Can we stop breaking the fourth wall and get on with this!?" snapped Iago.

"Sounds good!" accepted Aghoul. "Mamulks!" The undead soldiers walked to Ash as Team Rocket prepared to battle.

"Alright, kid," Iago depended. "Can you get us out of this?" Ash flashed a grin.

"Hold on tight," he replied as he brought a Pokéball out. "Torkoal, I choose you!" His ball opened and Ash's Coal Pokémon emerged as he billowed out a cloud of smoke. Everyone covered up as Ash, Pikachu and Iago vanished from the smoke that soon cleared. Aghoul and Team Rocket lost track and looked around. Ash ran when there was an explosion elsewhere. Aladdin rode Carpet out of the blast, untouched. Mechanicles was on the ground, dazed from the blast. Genie turned into a grandmother, grabbed a blanket and covered the mechanic.

"Now, settle down while I read you a bedtime story," he played along. He opened a book. "Once upon a time…" Ash continued his search for Mozenrath.

"So, this must be the twerp and Pikachu," Mirage mewed. "Quite the young ones, but nothing to whet my appetite." Iago groaned to seeing Mirage.

"Me and my big beak when I mentioned Mirage," he muttered.

"Maybe a trip to Morbia would satisfy you," she offered. "And my Fire Cats can escort you there." More Fire Cats came roaming to the scene. Ash stood his ground as Aghoul and Team Rocket arrived.

"What will you do, twerp!?" mocked Jessie. Ash felt prepared for this and chose to attack.

"Corphish, Bubble Beam!" he summoned as he dove behind Mirage and tossed a new Pokéball. Corphish emerged and struck everything: Team Rocket, Mirage, Aghoul and the Fire Cats. Aghoul shrugged off the bubbles while Mirage and the Fire Cats wailed at water hitting them, forcing their retreat. Aghoul was in their path.

"WAIT!" he called with his hands waiving in front of him. "NOT THIS WAY!" One Fire Cat crashed into him and he wailed in pain while Team Rocket dashed away from the other Fire Cat while Aghoul screamed in agony. Ash rushed off after seeing the undead man burn.

"Jeez, that's one way to go," Iago gulped. "And brilliant on getting those Fire Cats away from us. I nearly forgot cats hate water when they're not drinking."

"Right, and Water-Type attacks are super effective against fire!" huffed Ash. Xerxes spotted and flew at Ash.

"Found Not Aladdin!" he garbled. Ash and the others turned to see Xerxes aiming at them. They ducked and turned to Mozenrath's serpent.

("Tiny Gyarados?") guessed Pikachu.

"Alright, Xerxes!" called out Iago. "Where's the princess!?"

"Stupid bird!" taunted Xerxes. "Sand lady not princess!" Ash blinked and realized the eel mentioned Sadira.

"Thanks for telling me," he sneered. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder and smashed Xerxes in the head. The eel was out. Ash picked him up. "Talking Alley Cat Pokémon and now this?"

"Agrabah's got some interesting creatures," Iago pointed out.

"Like you are?"

"Hey, I'm not ashamed of it. I like being the birdbrain of comedy in Agrabah." Pikachu's nose saw flames coming.

("They're back!") he alerted. Ash and Iago turned to see more Fire Cats approaching.

"I only wonder if I can train them," Ash pondered.

"You can't," Mirage refused. Ash and the animals turned to Mirage. "But it sounds like you have experience with animals like the tortoise and the crayfish you unleashed, and the mouse and parrot seemed to be on your side." Ash felt cornered and Team Rocket came after the Fire Cats.

"Okay, twerp!" voiced James. "You won't fool us twice!" Iago had an idea.

"He won't but he's not the only one!" he voiced before clearing his throat. "My bugs!" Iago now sounded like Mechanicles, spooking Ash and Pikachu. "They're in this vicinity!" Within seconds, Mechanicles' beetles came around and slammed into Team Rocket and the Fire Cats, blowing up in the process. Ash, Pikachu, Iago and Mirage covered their eyes, thinking nothing good to come out. The mechanical bugs snuffed the Fire Cats and Team Rocket were knocked for a loop.

"Dat rang a few bells…" murmured Meowth. Ash took the distraction to escape.

"How did you know they were voice activated?" he asked.

"Talk… to Genie!" considered Iago as they reunited with Aladdin's team.

"Nice work staying alive, Ash!" he complimented.

"Thanks!" laughed Ash. Mirage summoned a rift where more Fire Cats came through and kicked them through.

"You fools can wait in Morbia to recover," she hissed. "That would keep anyone down for awhile." She pawed down the hall to find the group. Ash gave Aladdin a briefing of who he met.

"Team Rocket, Aghoul, Mirage and Mechanicles all under the same palace…" reviewed Aladdin. "This was an ambush and we stopped them."

"At least Aghoul is now Acrisped!" joked Iago.

"Hey, Jasmine's and Sadira can't rescue themselves," Ash pointed out.

"Right, so let's meet Mozenrath," Aladdin demanded as they opened the door. Sadira laid on the ground as Jasmine remained caged and Mozenrath lifted his gauntlet. "Jasmine!" Hearing her fiance, Jasmine turned to her rescuer.

"Aladdin!" she cried. Ash huddled over to Sadira, concerned.

"Sadira!" he called. Sadira felt Ash's hands and woke.

"I'm sorry," she weakly groaned. "My… magic… It's gone…" Aladdin freed Jasmine as Mozenrath stepped up.

"This is the magic I've yearned for!" he gloated. "Perfect for this place. Now, I can dominate the world!" Ash, Aladdin and their friends now had a troubling task ahead as Mozenrath waived his gauntlet high. Mirage also reached the doorway before seeing the waived gauntlet.

"So, you've siphoned the witch's sand magic," she mentioned.

"I have, Mirage," he agreed. "And I thank you for stalling Aladdin and his fools long enough." With a snap of his fingers, more Mamulks emerged and snagged Mirage by the ankles. They began dragging the cat woman down below the ground while everyone else watched in horror.

"NOOOO!" she screamed. "MOZENRATH! HOW! COULD! YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!" After a few more seconds, Mirage was gone below the ground.

"And to think, this is part of the sand witch's sand magic along with mine," he gloated. Aladdin, Ash, Jasmine and everyone else now faced Mozenrath and what to do about him. As for Team Rocket, they were in a new realm. They discovered they were in front of a giant Sphinx. Outside was nothing but rocks floating in space.

"Okay… where are we?" asked Meowth. All looked around and found nothing else.

"I'm not sure, Meowth," James shrugged. "Space?"

"Oh, so we've been spared," Jessie smiled. "Maybe Mirage will allow us back after he's dealt with the twerp and the royal twerps."

"Yeah, and we can have Pikachu after dat!" mewed Meowth. "So, all we need to do is wait." Xerxes greedily accepted. They're unaware of Mirage's fate, but they'll be in for something worse. Ash, Aladdin and their friends now faced a newly-powered Mozenrath. Could they find a way to overcome this new obstacle?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	12. Black Sand Battle

_Chapter 12: __B__lack Sand Battle_

* * *

The trap Mozenrath laid out for Aladdin bought him enough time to siphon Sadira's sand magic. The sacrifices of Aghoul, Mechanicles and Mirage may have been worth the effort. "Once more, Aladdin," Mozenrath started. "You've come too late. I now have the magic that will cast the black sand over the world and the power you and this squirt have no chance to come out alive. Be prepared with everyone to be buried in a sandstorm of epic proportions that will destroy everything." Aladdin seethed to the obstacle course as Ash and Pikachu were with Sadira.

"If you were after Sadira for her sand magic," Aladdin started as Mamulks came to the scene. "Why take Jasmine as well?"

"Oh, your fiancee?" grinned Mozenrath. "I'd debate half-incidental, half-opportunity. After all, you'd do anything to save your princess." Aladdin seethed to the brazen attack. "But enough about anger when you're on the cusp of your demise!" He fired a beam to the ground which summoned giant hands aimed at Aladdin, Ash and Pikachu who dove clear of the lunging arms.

"No escape!" cackled Xerxes. More hands lunged at the group. Ash had to act.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" he called out. Pikachu leaped up and slashed the fingers of the hands, all falling to the dirt below. Mozenrath saw the move, a little surprised to see it happening.

"A mouse with a sword-like tail?" he guessed. "Not something I saw coming, but I'm interested."

"And that's all you'll know!" shouted Aladdin. He lunged for Mozenrath, only for the ruler of the Land of the Black Sand to shoot a beam from his gauntlet, knocking Aladdin back and Genie to catch him.

"Aladdin!" cried Jasmine. Aladdin recovered as he saw Mozenrath aim his gauntlet at Ash and Pikachu.

"Ash, behind you!" he called out. Ash and Pikachu turned to Mozenrath who fired another beam. Ash pivoted around the beam as Pikachu leaped up.

("Let's see you take this!") he squeaked before firing Thunderbolt. Mozenrath wove his gauntlet and the Thunderbolt hit the Mamulks. They blew up into pieces of themselves with their heads rolling. Despite being mostly destroyed, the Mamulks blinked in… shock.

"Makes us glad they're already dead beforehand," Genie gulped. Ash and Pikachu saw Mozenrath's power.

"You see how feeble your strength is," Mozenrath sneered. "And I thought gathering the sand witch's magic would be enough to satisfy my hunger. Turns out, I need more." He snapped his fingers to which Pikachu sensed something on the ground. He leaped as the ground gave way for Ash. Carpet caught Pikachu while Ash fell into the sudden quicksand. Mozenrath turned to Carpet. "I may need you for the ride of domination!" He fired another beam, nailing Carpet and knocking Pikachu off. The beam pushed Carpet into a series of hanging chains, entangling him. Pikachu growled to Mozenrath. "…And it leaves the little rodent." Xerxes swooped in.

"Allow me, Mozenrath!" the eel growled and zipped at Pikachu. Sadira wanted to save Ash as Xerxes opened his jaw. Pikachu ducked Xerxes at the last second before slamming into him upward. This astounded Mozenrath.

"This mouse has unreal power. Maybe, I can extract its lightning, give me a little more flair for dominance." Pikachu became a little fearful.

"Don't count us out so quickly!" voiced Aladdin as Mozenrath fired another beam. Aladdin scooped Pikachu away before the beam struck the Mouse Pokémon. Sadira saw the distraction and rushed to Ash and pull him out of the quicksand.

"Ash!" she cried out. They clasped hands and Sadira used her bare feet for leverage to pull Ash free.

"Sadira!" he grunted. Sadira pulled to remove Ash from the quicksand while waiving her other arm at the sinking pit.

"Come on…" Her hand waiving did nothing. She tried again before she felt Ash's hand slipping.

"Uh, Sadira?" Realizing she was losing her grip, Sadira stopped trying to work on the quicksand.

"Sorry!" She pulled Ash out of the hole and hugged him. "Sorry…" Mozenrath fired black flames at the two while Aladdin and Pikachu tried to free Jasmine from her shackles.

"Jasmine!" he cried as she wasn't held down anymore.

"Aladdin!" she cried as she hugged him. Mozenrath fired black flames from his gauntlet. Aladdin pulled Jasmine clear and Pikachu shot another Thunderbolt, breaking through the flames. It was a ruse. Mozenrath grabbed Pikachu by the scruff.

"A powerful creature, maybe more useful than Xerxes," he determined. That's when Pikachu looked up.

"Thank you," Pikachu replied… which turned out to be Genie. Mozenrath looked surprised. "But you should already know about that." Mozenrath gawked to the switch and turned to see Pikachu huddle with Ash and Sadira, then back to Genie.

"No… Thank _you_." Mozenrath summoned a sphere which ensnared Genie. He looked defeated.

"I gotta stop being stuffed into magic-proof jails…" With Genie stopped, Mozenrath summoned more sandy hands and caught everyone else.

"You have messed with me for the last time. Something as simple as being all powerful is too much to ask! With this sand magic, I can conquer with a fist of many a magician!" He snapped his fingers and tossed everyone to walls. Aladdin's body caught Jasmine's, cushioning her impact. Mozenrath now focused on Ash, writhing in pain. "Now, I can find new possibilities with a body like this." Jasmine ran after Mozenrath.

"Don't hurt Ash!" she demanded. Mozenrath turned to Jasmine. "You have the magic you wanted. You've won. Destroying us will make you no less ruthless in comparison to Jafar!" Mozenrath scoffed to Jasmine's plea.

"My… dear… princess…" he grinned. "You and Aladdin know that my body cannot stay together for long. By merging my soul into a new vessel, I can live for long after I dominate the seven sands and the world together." He shot another beam, sending Jasmine back to Aladdin.

"Jasmine!" he gasped before catching her again. Mozenrath turned back to Ash who started glowing blue for some reason.

"What's this?" he wondered with interest. "I thought I had every magic possible… but then again, you're from the future. Maybe it's a new magic yet to be named. All in all… I want it!" Xerxes recovered and grinned to the demand.

"Do it, Mozenrath!" he urged.

"Gladly…" Waking up, Ash turned to Pikachu and saw an idea.

"Pikachu…" he groaned. "Cut my sash…" Pikachu blinked to Ash's command. Mozenrath's hand closed in as he held Ash's sash.

("Now or never…") he declared. With a jump, Pikachu swung another Iron Tail which sliced the sash in half. It caused Mozenrath to fumble Ash as he tumbled to the ground and rolled. By his foot after stopping was a scimitar one of the Mamulks had. Mozenrath rose his gauntlet back out.

"There's nowhere to go, boy!" he scowled.

"I hate to use it…" muttered Ash. With one diving spin, Ash swung the blade upward and passed Mozenrath. The gauntlet fell off with a skeletal arm coming out. This spooked Ash and Pikachu.

"Your arm's… just bones?" gawked Sadira. Mozenrath clasped what was left of his arm.

"This is the price I paid for seeking power," he claimed. "And now, I seek his power and his body. As soon I know what power he has, domination will commence." Ash looked to see his arms aglow.

"This?" he pointed out. "I don't know what it is." Seeing Mozenrath charging, Ash had to act and palmed his chest with both hands, knocking the sorcerer off-balance a bit.

"I will have your body and power!" The glow became brighter and Ash felt he needed to get it out of him.

"You want it!?" Everyone covered their eyes. "YOU CAN HAVE IT!" With a roar, a concussive blast ruptured. Those not shackled braced by curling themselves for the blast. Soon, the rupture ceased. All looked up to find Ash lying on the ground.

"Ash!" they shouted in shock. Jasmine, Sadira and Pikachu rushed to see if Ash survived.

"Please be okay," Sadira wished repeatedly. They turn him over and it didn't look good as Carpet, Genie and Aladdin walked to the girls and seeing Sadira tear up.

"No…" gulped Aladdin. "Not like this…"

"He was becoming a best friend to me," Iago muttered. Just as Sadira leaned her head in to hug Ash, a sudden groan sounded.

"Ow, my head," he pained. All looked on as Ash began to stir.

"Alright!" cheered Genie. Ash sat up and shook his head.

"Wow… now _that…_ was a rush." Sadira's arms wrapped around Ash.

"I'm so happy that you're alive!" she teared up while the boys sighed in relief, Carpet wiping his "head." Pikachu and Jasmine also hugged Ash.

"I'm glad he's okay," Genie awed.

"After all he's done, he needs to see the results," Aladdin laughed. Jasmine and Sadira kissed Ash all over his face, getting a blessing from the girls before they helped stand Ash up.

"This is why I love you," she cooed as she kissed his lips.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Iago nodded. Pikachu picked up the gauntlet that belonged to Mozenrath. "I'd say good riddance to Jafar, Jr." Iago took the gauntlet from Pikachu. "And this is what's left: his stinking gauntlet."

"Looks that way," believed Genie. To Sadira, it needed to be taken care of.

"So, what do we do with it?" she questioned. Jasmine had a thought.

"We could lock it in the vault back in the palace," she suggested.

"Nah, too risky," Aladdin denied. "Some thief, mainly Abis Mal or Amin Damoola, might get lucky and break into it and steal the gauntlet without knowing what it can do. We don't need another Mozenrath tormenting us." Jasmine saw the consequences and backtracked.

"Yeah, good point." Now, Sadira had an option.

"We could always bury it," she offered. Genie transformed into a bloodhound dog.

"Just leave it to me!" he barked. To Ash, it wasn't good enough.

"Acutally, I have a better idea," he voiced as he took the gauntlet from Iago.

"I gotta hear this from the kid," Iago pondered.

"What's your plan, Ash?" asked Aladdin. Ash revealed a grin.

"Just watch," he advised as he opened a Pokéball, summoning Torkoal.

("Ready!") he welcomed. Ash threw the gauntlet into the air.

"Torkoal, use Flamethrower on the gauntlet!" Torkoal breathed a flame that scorched the gauntlet. The flames changed from red to blue as it hit the ground. After a minute, the gauntlet and Mozenrath's magic were nothing more than ashes. "There… Now that thing won't be used again."

"You… burned it?" muttered Aladdin.

"Think about it: the gauntlet was way too dangerous to be left lying around… and like you said, Al, we don't need another Mozenrath in our lives. If that thing is locked up or buried or somewhere out of sight, someone would eventually find it and who knows what that'll bring. Better safe than sorry."

"Yeah, sometimes it's best to let it be demolished," Iago shrugged. Xerxes came out of nowhere.

"Vengance for Mozenrath!" he scowled. All turned to find Xerxes lunging at Ash, his jaw wide open.

"Pikachu!" called out Ash. Pikachu was ready when a sensational pain hit Xerxes. He cried in agony as he hit the ground. Suddenly, his body began to shrivel up. Then, his skin disintegrated and all that remained was a skeletal figure, but that didn't last as the figure fell into dust.

"Xerxes was fueled by Mozenrath's magic," Aladdin realized. "And now that Mozenrath's gone, Xerxes couldn't survive."

"Hey, better that way…" grumbled Iago. That's when the palace began to shake as Ash recalled Torkoal. "Guys, I think the gauntlet kept this place standing!"

"We need to get out of here!" ordered Jasmine. Carpet scooped the guys and escaped the palace as it crumpled into a massive pile of sand.

"That was close," Sadira sighed while holding onto Ash.

"Let's head back," Aladdin ordered. "That's enough adventure for one day." The group flew back on Carpet and Genie back to Agrabah. After a few minutes, Mechanicles emerged.

"When someone suggests a dirt nap, it shouldn't be taken literally!" he snapped. "Now I got sand in places sand shouldn't be! Mozenrath! What happened!?" Hearing no response and checking his area, something clicked for Mechanicles. "No Mozenrath… no Mirage… no Aghoul… not even Team Rocket…" That's when he became excited. "YES! I, Mechanicles the Greatest of the Greek Geniuses, will dominate with my mechanical genius to take over Agrabah! I'll need to-" Genie reappeared in a poof.

"Totally forgot about you!" he joked as he grabbed Mechanicles and poofed out of there with a snap of his fingers. They wound up in a dungeon to which Genie waived and vanished. Looking around, Mechanicles saw grime, dust and cobwebs everywhere. He let out a thunderous scream.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	13. Sadira's Resolve

_Chapter 13: Sadira's Resolve_

* * *

The Palace in Agrabah seemed to be returning to normal after Ash, Aladdin and their friends ended Mozenrath's reign, as well as stop Team Rocket, Ayam Aghoul, Mirage and Mechanicles. In the palace, Sadira placed a small pile of sand on a table from a pouch with Rajah, Abu and Pikachu watching. She wove her hand over it, wriggled her fingers. Nothing. She tried over and over again. Still nothing. ("What's she trying to do?") asked Pikachu. After about the fifth waive or her hands, Sadira fell on her knees as Jasmine and Genie entered the scene.

"Sadira, what's wrong?" asked Jasmine. Sadira looked to her hands.

"It's gone," she whined. "My magic's gone. Mozenrath took it all." Everyone else gasped with Pikachu and Abu coming to Sadira's side to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry about that," Jasmine said. Rajah was also worried while Sadira picked up and hugged Pikachu.

"That sand magic was my crowning trait," she murmured. "I'm no longer something special. I'm just an ordinary girl now."

("It's all right, Sadira,") Pikachu squeaked to comfort. To Genie, a solution stood out.

"You know, if there was another genie she could find," he started. "She could wish for her magic back." Jasmine shook her head.

"It would also mean restoring her time as someone after Aladdin," she pointed out. "Sometimes, a loss is more important lost than returned. Besides, being with Ash for the time, I'm sure he doesn't mind you without your magic." Sadira turned to Jasmine, worried that it may not be the case.

"Ash is so special, and I feel like after Mozenrath took my magic…" she whimpered. Jasmine joined in supporting Sadira to ease her.

"It's okay. You love him. That's what you want." Sadira reached around Jasmine and hugged her back while Pikachu watched from nearby.

"Thank you." In the throne room, Ash visited Sultan with the royal guards around.

"Ash, my boy," Sultan began. "I thank you for helping in rescuing my daughter from Mozenrath after she told me what happened." Ash bowed to Sultan's word.

"Thank you, your highness," Ash accepted.

"Not to mention that you were able to put away that crazy inventor and end Mozenrath's tyranny," Razoul sneered. "Some of our training must have helped." Ash snickered as he stood and faced Razoul.

"I couldn't do much without that training," he shrugged.

"I thought so…" Something about the occurrence made Sultan wonder.

"By the way, Jasmine said that only Mechanicles survived and is now in the dungeon," he brought up. "So, Team Rocket can't bother us anymore?"

"Apparently not," Ash thought. "If what Aladdin said is right and that Mirage is gone after Team Rocket disappeared in that rift…"

"They'd be trapped there for all eternity," Razoul believed. "At least your Pokémon will remain safe from them." Ash nodded, but didn't feel proud about the outcome.

"I'd rather see them in the dungeon, but I guess with Jessie's tiny patience…" A little while later, Ash had Pikachu and Iago on his shoulders.

"Look, kid…" the parrot began. "You did all you could to stop that tyrant from turning the world into a giant sandbox. And sure, Aghoul and Mirage were also eliminated and those jokes of team Rocket are stuck in Morbia with nowhere to go."

"I get that, Iago," Ash spoke up. "Still, it's not right to take another life."

"Hey, when I ended Jafar's life, it felt like a weight was lifted off me. Besides, it's best that those three with that talking cat can't come after your partner-in-crime-fighting." Ash snickered to Pikachu's title.

("I like that title,") Pikachu allowed.

"Well, partner-in-crime for me is Abu but I digress," Iago added. "The point is, Agrabah owes a big favor to you after all you've done. Aladdin, Jasmine, Razoul… even Genie's been liking how you've been able to deal with all of these issues while away from your friends." Ash shrugged to Iago's point when Aladdin found them.

"Hey!" he greeted. "You're just in time."

"Al, what's up?" questioned Ash.

"Well, first to thank you for rescuing Jasmine and Sadira with me. I couldn't have stopped Mozenrath or anyone else without your help." Ash sneered to the compliment.

"As long as they're safe, it's all the thanks I need." That's when Aladdin peered out.

"Speaking of need, a pair of kids that needed a home…" Ash and the shoulder occupants looked out to find Kaveed and Yani with two adults hugging them, a rather young couple. One look had Yani spotting Ash and Pikachu before waiving up.

"Kaveed and Yani have a family!" awed Ash. "Awesome!" Iago had more.

"And it's more than Kaveed and Yani," he clarified. "The turnover rate has been impressive. We _are_ getting orphans from outside Agrabah for… some reason." Ash smiled to knowing the two kids he befriended now have a family.

"Seeing Kaveed and Yani together…" he pointed out. "It's all that matters." Aladdin saw Ash's smile, sensing his satisfaction. That night, Sadira was ready to head out when Jasmine rejoined her.

"Are you heading back to your hovel?" she asked.

"I am," Sadira nodded. "I do thank you for dinner-" She stopped when she saw a green long-sleeve robe with layers underneath. "Uh, princess? What are those?" Jasmine giggled before offering the robes to her. A little while later, Ash was playing checkers with Carpet. Ash had five chips left compared to eight on Carpet's side. Ash tried to find an opening to reach the other side, but one chip later, Carpet leaped two to reach the other side. Reluctantly, Ash placed a chip onto Carpet's crossed one. That's when the door opened. Ash and Carpet turned to find Sadira wearing the green robe and white gown and skirt as she approached with shoes like Jasmine's.

"Whoa, Sadira!" he gasped. "You look wonderful!" Sadira giggled to Ash's reaction as he approached her.

"Thanks, Ash," she giggled. "By the way, I wanted to come forward and… I did fall in love with you at first sight, like I did Aladdin. I thought, with my sand magic, that you'd like me and hit it off. Now, I'm nothing more than an ordinary girl. Mozenrath stole all my sand magic and I can't do anything!" Her tears began to flow before Ash placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Sand magic or no sand magic, I would want to take care of you." This made Sadira tear up and hug Ash.

"I wasn't wrong after all!" She leaned in and kissed Ash on the lips. Aladdin and Jasmine realized the two need sometime together.

"Let's… give them some privacy," Aladdin suggested.

("Good idea,") Pikachu agreed.

"Let's go!" ordered Jasmine. Abu and Carpet joined the others in leaving. Genie transformed into a reporter with a fedora that had "PRESS" on the brim.

"Welcome to Agrabah News this evening," he began to "report." "Top story, Ash Ketchum and former Sand Witch Sadira have finally confessed their love and are now looking toward the Palace-"

"DID YOU GET AMNESIA AFTER THE LAST TIME!?" screeched Iago as he began shoving Genie from the room. "CLEAR THE ROOM! GIVE THEM PRIVACY! SCRAM! BEAT IT! HIT THE ROAD!"

"Come on, Iago!" whined Genie. "You don't have to be like that-"

"SCRAM!" After Iago led Genie out of the room, Ash and Sadira enjoyed time alone. Outside the room, Aladdin and Jasmine wondered about what to do. Genie confronted Iago about the rude dismissial.

"So, what gives you the right to remove me from the scene?" he argued.

"Did you forget the last time you barged in on a romantic moment, you magical windbag!?" stammered Iago. While he argued to Genie, Aladdin and Jasmine huddled to plan something.

"Are you sure about this?" pondered Aladdin.

"I do," Jasmine admitted. "I know we planned for a ride last night, but I think we can arrange for another night. Tonight, it'll be for Ash and Sadira."

"Makes sense… Alright, we can tell him." Aladdin knocked on the door and found Ash and Sadira. "Hey, Ash!" Hearing his name, Ash turned to Aladdin and Jasmine as she entered. "Could you come over for a minute? Jasmine and I wanna talk to you." Ash and Sadira looked to Aladdin and Jasmine before they nodded.

"Sure thing, Al," Ash complied before turning to Sadira. "I'll be right back."

"Sure, sweetheart," Sadira smiled. Ash came to Aladdin and Jasmine as Pikachu reached Sadira.

"What's up, guys?" questioned Ash. "Has something happened about your Carpet ride?"

"Actually, that's what we wanted to discuss," Aladdin issued. Ash blinked in confusion.

"See, Aladdin and I have been talking earlier and we've come to an agreement," Jasmine brought up. "I did want to thank you for saving me and Sadira."

"Of course," Ash thanked. "And what's the agreement?"

"We decided to give our date night… to you and Sadira," Aladdin finished. Ash seemed taken aback with surprise.

"What!?" he gawked. "You can't be serious!"

"But we are." Still in disbelief, Ash became worried about Aladdin and Jasmine's relationship.

"I don't understand… It's your date, your night. I'll bet you two must've been planning it for weeks. I bet Sadira wouldn't want to take the date away from you."

"We know, Ash," Jasmine interjected. "But the thing is… after everything that's happened and seeing how you and Sadira's are becoming a couple like Aladdin and I, we figured you two deserve it more than us."

"So, we've decided to hold off our own date and give it to you instead," Aladdin concluded. Ash still felt his interaction was the result of their schedule change.

"Are you sure about giving me and Sadira your night?" he guessed.

"Absolutely," Jasmine confirmed.

"And besides, we've already talked to Carpet about our decision and he's never been more excited to give it to you and Sadira," Aladdin added as Carpet flew in. "Right, Carpet?" Despite not having a head, per say, Carpet nodded to the decision. Ash sighed with a smile.

"Well, if you guys insist…" he surrendered. "Thanks. I'll look forward to it." Aladdin and Jasmine felt grateful to offer their date to Ash and Sadira which gave Ash a bit of concern. "Hold on… What about you?" Jasmine giggled to Ash's concern.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "Aladdin and I'll have a nice candlelight dinner."

"And we'll watch over Pikachu and Torkoal and all your Pokémon," Aladdin added. Ash felt relieved.

"Thanks guys," he finally accepted. "I'll let my Pokémon know to give you privacy, as well as Abu and Iago. Knowing Abu, he'll cause trouble.

"That's true," Aladdin chuckled.

"Thank you, Ash," Jasmine praised. Ash turned to Sadira.

"I'll let Sadira know of the change of plans," he advised. "I bet she'll be excited." As Ash told Sadira the update, Genie arrived.

"Perfect timing, Genie," Aladdin said. "Think you can whip up my outfit for Ash? You know, the outfit you gave me to be a prince?" Genie snapped and pointed his fingers.

"Consider it done," he agreed. After Ash told Sadira, they got ready with Ash wearing Aladdin's formal robes and he and Sadira boarded Carpet and began to fly under the full moon.

"Whoa!" they shrieked in excitement. They began to zoom in the night sky, flying above the clouds.

"This view is awesome!" cheered Ash.

"It is!" agreed Sadira. As they flew, Aladdin and Jasmine watched with Pikachu and on Aladdin's shoulders.

"I think we can tell him when he and Sadira get back," Aladdin sneered.

"What, about what we think of Ash as a younger version of you?" guessed Jasmine. Pikachu seemed a little befuddled.

("I didn't know the comparison,") he squeaked as Aladdin laughed.

"Well… that and maybe invite him to the wedding, officially," he pointed out. Pikachu became excited.

"Really?" blinked Jasmine. "I thought he was."

"Sure… as the best man." Hearing the addition made Jasmine irk.

"Best… man? Aladdin, are you sure? Isn't Genie your right hand man?" It made Aladdin become a little defensive.

"I mean… he is… I just feel that Ash would be front and center and see how it goes for when he and Sadira get hitched." The explanation made Jasmine giggle in realization.

"Oh… Maybe I should do the same for Sadira as my Maid-of-Honor." Aladdin sneered again to Jasmine's offer.

"I think that can be arranged." Suddenly…

"YAHOO!" sounded Genie. Everyone else wondered.

"What was that all about?" asked Iago.

"Let's check it out," Aladdin suggested before everyone dashed to the noise. Ash and Sadira on Carpet flew around the deserts and pyramids with a swing around the Sphinx in one spot, then another spot had a city which a young strawberry-blond teen boy in a brown breastplate, skirt and blue cape while also wearing sandals that laced to his kneecaps. He also wore a red headband as he watched Carpet pass over them.

"I never knew the world extends so far," Sadira awed.

"I'd say the same, but wow!" admired Ash. "Just think, this is also like the Pokémon World."

"Really? You must want to see it all, if that's what you want." Ash laughed to Sadira's point.

"I'm always striving to work to become the greatest Pokémon Master. After all, I can't do it alone."

"And you may never be, even in this brisk night. I'll be here with you, and I wanna go with you back to your world."

"I think we can work something out. I'm actually happy to have met you." He began to laugh. "And I can bet Brock will be upset with our relationship." Sadira became curious.

"Brock, huh? A friend?"

"Yeah, maybe I'll introduce you to him and my friends, including my mom back in Pallet Town." Sadira chuckled to Ash's offer.

"Of course, if Genie can find your world… but if not… I'm happy to meet and love the young man to have for all time." Ash nodded to Sadira's confession.

"You have no idea how I feel, but I think I don't need to ask what you're thinking after you told me how you feel." They kissed with the moon in the background over a wall that stretched for miles. After the flight across many lands, they returned to the Palace where they called it a night in the spare bedroom. Pikachu, Rajah, Iago and Abu joined Ash and Sadira in the room to sleep in the warm bed together. The love had begun between the trainer and former sand witch. Meanwhile, Team Rocket continued to search for a way out of their location. Jessie watched as James and Meowth came back from skipping across rocks back to the platform.

"Any luck?" she asked. The two others shook their heads.

"We have to wait for Mirage to come back and free us," Meowth shrugged. Jessie wasn't having the excuse.

"We need to get out of here and go after Pikachu!" she demanded. "I can't stand being here for much longer! And where are the fire cats Mirage has!? Shouldn't they be around to help?" James appeared to look around.

"I hadn't noticed until now," he realized. "If I recall what Mozenrath said, if something happened to Mirage, her felines won't appear." On that note, Jessie put the pieces together.

"Does… that… mean…" she guessed before letting out a loud scream. "GET… ME… OUTTA… HERE!" She lunged at James and Meowth who screamed in fear. What did Genie find? And what secret did Aladdin tell Ash?

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED…


	14. Wish for Home Granted

_Chapter 14/Final: Wish for Home Granted_

* * *

Agrabah couldn't be more in peace after the heroics of Aladdin and his merry men. Ash and Sadira were still asleep when the sun began to beam onto their faces. Pikachu and Swellow woke and gave a loud yawn and caw respectively. The two Pokémon looked to each other. ("Breakfast?") squeaked Pikachu.

("I'm hungry,") Swellow agreed. ("Let's go!") Pikachu boarded Swellow before the Swallow Pokémon took flight. They passed Sultan who was in his boxers and a tank top.

"My word," he gasped. "Bright and early exercise, huh?" Swellow turned around to meet Sultan.

("Morning, Sultan!") welcomed Pikachu. Sultan petted Swellow, one which he accepted.

"I bet you're excited to return to your world. Jasmine told me late last night after I heard Genie's shout." Swellow's eyes enlarged in excitement. Sadira soon woke up. She turned to see her boyfriend still asleep as she looked to his face and traced the zigzag marks with her finger. The tickle woke Ash to seeing his new girlfriend.

"Morning, my diamond," she cooed before she kissed him on the lips.

"This may need some getting used to," he laughed.

"Maybe, but I'm ready for it." Iago heard Sadira and peered inside. He saw Ash and Sadira kissing again.

"I'd say 'get a room,' but I'm the one barging in," he mumbled before flying off. After they had their love time, Ash and Sadira joined the throne room with Aladdin and Jasmine. Pikachu joined Ash's shoulder while Genie measured Sadira. Ash was back in his trainer clothes.

"Ash, I'm glad that we had a chance to know you and show you around," Aladdin began. "Not to mention see and know your Pokémon."

"Hey, believe me when I should be the one thanking you," Ash returned. "After all, you, Jasmine and Carpet got me out of that sticky situation."

"Well, I guess we dug out a great Best Man for our wedding." Ash laughed to Aladdin's title offer. Genie came in after hearing Aladdin's suggestion.

"Um, Al?" he whispered. "Can we talk?" Aladdin nodded and reached a far area in the room. Jasmine came over to give Ash her parting words.

"Ash, I'm looking forward to meeting your mother and help with how to raise our kids, if I want to have more than one," she wished. Sadira snickered to Jasmine's plan.

"Princess," she sneered. "Are you trying to tell us something?" Jasmine laughed to Sadira's suspicion.

"Not…quite… yet," she smiled. "Though, is it too much to ask for you to be my maid of honor for the wedding?" Sadira gawked to the offer.

"Me? a Maid of Honor?" Her face beamed in awe to the idea of being Jasmine's Maid of Honor. She clasped Jasmine's hands in delight. "Princess! You have no idea of the honor to be your Honor!" Jasmine giggled to Sadira's reaction.

"I thought you'd enjoy that." Meanwhile, Genie heard Aladdin's argument of having Ash as the prince-to-be's Best Man.

"I guess I need to tone it down," Genie sighed. "It's your special moment."

"Hey, you're still a groomsman so, no hard feelings," Aladdin understood. Suddenly, a yelp. Abu, Iago and Sultan turned to Ash who had Rajah on top of him, the tiger's paws wrapped around him.

"I guess this is your way of saying goodbye, huh?" he laughed. Rajah looked sad, not wanting to depart from his friends. "Hey, I know how you feel. I'm sure Jasmine can bring you over to meet my friends and my Pokémon. How's that sound?" Rajah licked Ash's face, his rough tongue scraping Ash's cheek.

"In all honesty, I do wish that Rajah was with the kid," Iago grumbled.

"Maybe you can go with him to his world if it upsets you like this," Jasmine suggested.

"Not until I finish paying my dues to the Palace!"

"And what dues are there?" As Jasmine and Iago argue, Razoul heard about Ash's departure and came to give him his farewell.

"Ash, many apologies for calling you a Street Rat," he explained. "In fact, you're worthy enough to be part of the Royal Guard in a few years. I'm always looking for those who have a sense of justice on them." Ash and Razoul shook hands.

"You didn't need to apologize," Ash retorted. "I'm glad to train with you and the Royal Guard." Razoul smiled at the acknowledgment. Abu and Pikachu exchanged a hug. Razoul turned to Genie.

"How long will you be?" he asked.

"For most of us, about five minutes," Genie estimated. "A couple… about as long as they need before the wedding."

"Mainly Ash and Sadira, right?" Razoul's guess made Genie nod. "Very well…" With that, everyone gathered in the playroom which the door stood.

"By the way, Ash," Genie voiced. "I moved the door after spotting what I believe were your friends, since they're talking about you and wondering where you've been." To Ash, being missed by his friends made him feel that he wasn't forgotten.

"Shall we?" asked Sadira. Everyone turned but Ash and Pikachu gasped to Sadira's new look: green windbreaker uniform with white tennis shoes.

"Nice!" approved Ash.

"You like? Genie said that he studied your outfit and gave me something that's comfortable and easy to move around in." Ash laughed to Sadira's detailing and turned to Genie.

"Are you sure you have 'semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic powers'?"

"Hey, never underestimate a genie's magic, even ones who are freed," Genie assured. Aladdin laughed before reaching the door.

"Ready, everyone?" he spoke up. Everyone nodded and Aladdin opened the door. They entered a grassy plain on the other side. Everyone stepped in to see flying swallos, smaller than Ash's Swellow, purple butterflies with white wings flying with black butterflies with stingy noses, brown-striped raccoons with zigzag designs and running behavior, even walking acorns with eyes.

"Whoa…" hushed Jasmine. "We've only just stepped through and I'm marveled by this place."

"I know, right?" awed Aladdin. Suddenly, a pink kitten dashed to the scene and lunged at Pikachu tackling him over. Recovering, Pikachu saw the kitten as Sadira knelt to the two Pokémon.

"Skitty!?" gawked Ash. Skitty looked up with its squinted eyes and came to Jasmine.

"Such a cute little kitten," she cooed as she itched its chin. "Reminds me a lot of Rajah as a baby kitten." Skitty mewed to the compliment as a few people came to the scene.

"Skitty!" shouted May. Everyone turned to Ash's friends who came running to the scene. May and Max stopped when they saw Ash's new crew.

"Whoa, what's going on!" wondered Max.

"I'm not… exactly sure, Max," May gulped. Pikachu raced to May who gladly caught the Pokémon. "Hey, Pikachu!"

("Hey, May!") greeted Pikachu. Ash, Aladdin and Jasmine reached May and Max.

"Hey, May," Ash welcomed. "Max, nice to see you too."

"Tell us about it," Max sighed in relief. "After you and Pikachu fell into that Trapinch hole, we thought we lost you two for good." Ash itched his head while Abu climbed onto Max, surprising him. "Whoa, what the-"

"Abu, you know better than to meet people like that!" scorned Jasmine. Abu hooted solemnly. It made May and Max wonder.

"Ash, what's going on?" questioned May. Ash sighed to trying to explain the situation.

"See, I ended up in a place called Agrabah," he started. "The royal family took care of me and Pikachu and I returned the favor." Just then, Brock came to and held Sadira's hands.

"You certainly came out of nowhere but location of your origin is irrelevant," he spoke up. Everyone watched, including Iago from Ash's shoulder. "I'm sure the bevy of beauty can reign wonders of what a great person you are." Sadira shook her head.

"Sorry, boy!" she denied. "But I've already got a boyfriend." She freed herself from Brock and held Ash's. Brock, May and Max gawked in surprise.

"Ash, you're… dating!?" yelped May.

"It does seem a little hard to believe but the kid got his sand witch," Iago explained as he flew onto Carpet who bobbed a nod.

"Okay, a carpet, a genie, a talking bird…" listed Max in dismay.

"And two couples," Brock whined. Looking, May and Max spotted Aladdin and Jasmine's hands together.

"Ash is right about us being a royal couple," Aladdin confirmed. "We're gonna be marrying soon." May gushed to the news.

"Prince Al and Princess Jasmine, for your information," Genie whispered to May, making her gasp.

"She- She's a princess!?" she repeated. She rushed to hold hands with Jasmine's after she and Aladdin let their hands free. "You have no idea what it's like! You're the second princess I've meet in my life!" Aladdin and Jasmine laughed to May's excitement.

"Second?" repeated Iago.

"We met a princess in a walled-off kingdom," Brock whispered.

"Really!? If there are places like this, maybe I should stay." Aladdin heard Iago a plucked him from Carpet.

"You're gonna stay with us unless otherwise," he scorned. Carpet took Iago away as he complained about not getting a chance to stay with Ash. Aladdin came to Ash. "Well, this is it. I know Agrabah's gonna wanna see you some more but you have your journey to take up… brother." He and Ash shook hands.

"Thanks, Al," Ash praised. Jasmine had one more item to take care of.

"Almost forgot about the little one," she reminded herself before hugging Ash and Pikachu. "I'll see you two later." She kissed the trainer and Pokémon before she led the way back.

"Shall we get back?" she asked. Aladdin nodded and Carpet flew away. Abu and Pikachu had one last hug before Aladdin's monkey raced back home. Jasmine came to Ash and Sadira as Aladdin returned with Genie.

"Ash, thank you for all you've done to help my father with Agrabah," she praised. "And with Mozenrath and Mechanicles out of the picture, my home should be a lot more peaceful. After all, I'm considering you part of the family." She hugged Ash as everyone watch. Finally, everyone waived goodbye and Aladdin's crew entered the door which closed. May now confronted Ash and Sadira.

"Ash, I should be upset with you getting a girlfriend," she sighed. "But… if it means showing Brock up… I can forgive you for it." Ash and Sadira laughed to the thought.

"Hey, don't be so harsh," Sadira urged. "Someday, he'll find the one for himself. At least today will be the first day away from the Arabian city." May and Max weren't too sure about Sadira's words. Just then, a buzz came from above. All saw a yellow dragonfly with green diamond-shaped wings. It buzzed down to Sadira who seemed amazed.

"Is that a Vibrava that had evolved recently?" wondered Brock. Ash had his PokéDex on hand.

"Vibrava, the Vibration Pokémon," it registered. "Vibrava is the evolved form of Trapinch. Vibrava flaps its wings fast enough to emit ultrasonic waves. Until they evolve, they travel in short stints." The Vibrava flew to Sadira.

"When we were looking for you, we found the paradise that Elisa's friend was looking for," Max explained. "That's when we saw a swarm of Trapinch evolve." Ash awed while Sadira met with Vibrava.

"So nice to meet you," she greeted. The Vibrava flew closer to Sadira and climbed onto her back, humoring her.

"I see!" her boyfriend voiced. "Sadira, Vibrava wants you to be its trainer." Sadira gawked to the offer.

"Really?" she awed. "Is it okay?" Vibrava flew to face Sadira as Ash handed her a Pokéball.

"When you catch it, Vibrava's yours." Sadira nodded before offering the ball to Vibrava.

"Let's go!" Vibrava flew and headbutt the ball which turned into a red light before going into an opened ball and then closing. It jostled around for a little bit but then the click. Ash placed a hand on the ball.

"Dear, Vibrava's yours." Sadira's face was aglow before she hugged and kissed her boyfriend, hand holding Vibrava's ball.

"I can see why she was called a witch," Max sneered. "She's put a spell over Ash." May and Brock grumbled while they watched on helpless.

* * *

_(Months later…)_

A ferry was taking Ash and Pikachu across the ocean. Sadira and a tan top-like clay doll came out. It had red markings and arms. "Still upset about falling short at the Evergrand Tournament?" she asked.

"A little…" Ash sighed. "Maybe I was pretty focused on Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding."

"You mean the one we're helping out on?"

"Yeah…" Sadira's arm draped around Ash's shoulder.

"I regret exposing my magic to which Mozenrath stole it. I don't regret meeting you. And now, I'm about to meet family, my diamond in the rough."

"Sadira…" Both shared a kiss at starboard when Sadira had one thing in mind.

"Genie told me that Pikachu's got a crush on a cat? Gatomon, right?"

"Yeah, he did… by accident."

"Right, searching for your world… Any chance when we go back for that wedding, Genie can bring that cat back?"

"Maybe… he's got it bookmarked." That's when Ash realized something. "Or do you mean _our_ wedding?" That made Sadira burst out in laughter.

("Too soon,") the clay doll denied.

("Agreed, Baltoy,") Pikachu nodded. Ash and Sadira have something to share with Ash's mother… as the two have a new life away from the Arabian Night.

* * *

THE END… FOR NOW

(Thanks for letting me do Aladdin but stay tuned in the future as I close it with another Arabian Story. For now, prepare for an Amourshipping with a twist.)


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